Characterization of infrared and near-infrared absorptions of free alcoholic OH groups in hydrocarbon

We have demonstrated that the near-infrared and infrared absorptions in the 8000-3200 cm(-1) region of an OH group of 2-nonanol, 1-nonanol, etc., in n-heptane are excellently separated by subtraction without any serious interference down to very low concentrations at which OH groups are completely free. The separated sharp absorptions are assigned to the fundamental, combination, and overtone bands that are concerned with the OH stretching of free OH. Two components of a sharp overtone band around 7100 cm(-1), which are observed for primary and secondary alcohols, are assigned to coexisting internal rotational isomers of an OH group around the O-C bond. The frequencies of the OH stretching fundamental and overtone bands that are assigned to internal rotational positions are consistent for all the investigated alcohols, including methanol and tertiary butanol. Comparison of the separated spectrum of 2-nonanol in n-heptane with that in 1-chlorooctane or in carbon tetrachloride makes it clear that hydrocarbon is an inert solvent that does not disturb the intrinsic nature of an alcohol OH group. There actually exists a constant anharmonicity shift of 169-175 cm(-1) between the double frequency (2nu(OH)o) of the observed fundamental and the observed overtone frequency ([2nu(OH)]o) for free OH of various alcohols in n-heptane.     

A Two-Dimensional Bandwidth Extrapolation Technique for Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar Images

The resolution of a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image, in range and azimuth, is determined by the transmitted bandwidth and the synthetic aperture length, respectively. Various superresolution techniques for improving resolution have been proposed, and we have proposed an algorithm that we call polarimetric bandwidth extrapolation (PBWE). To apply PBWE to a radar image, one needs to first apply PBWE in the range direction and then in the azimuth direction, or vice versa . In this paper, PBWE is further extended to the 2-D case. This extended case (2D-PBWE) utilizes a 2-D polarimetric linear prediction model and expands the spatial frequency bandwidth in range and azimuth directions simultaneously. The performance of the 2D-PBWE is shown through a simulated radar image and a real polarimetric SAR image     

New DC Chopper Circuits Using Fast-Switching Reverse-Conducting Thyristors for Low-Voltage DC Motor Control

Fast- switching reverse-conducting thyristors have been developed and used in dc chopper apparatus to control the speed of highvoltage dc traction motors. The newly developed dc chopper circuit and its application for low-voltage dc motor control are discussed. The fast-switching reverse-conducting thyristor is utilized as the main thyristor to control load current.     

Dynamic viscoelastic behavior of cholesteric liquid crystalline side-chain copolymers

Summary The rheological behavior of the cholesteric side-chain copolysiloxane whose two kinds of mesogenic groups consist of cholesteryl units and biphenyl benzoate units was investigated for three different compositions: 31:69, 35:65, 37:63 (in mol%). On the frequency dependence diagram of G′ for the copolymers at various temperatures, G′ decreases with decreasing frequency. The slope of G′ in a higher frequency region at lower temperatures (110°–130°C) is similar to that in the flow region of amorphous polymer melts. However, the slope of G′ in a lower frequency region at higher temperatures (140°–160°C) is relatively small, and the G′ curves in this region can not be superposed on to a single master curve. This deviation seems to be due to change in stability of the domain structure of the cholesteric phase. Furthermore, on the temperature dependence curve of G′, G′ showed a maximum near T _c1 . This maximum of G′ curve seems to be caused by molecular organization of a blue phase.     

Mobile robot with transformable crawler and intelligent guidance

Recently, great advances have been made in intelligent mobile robot technology, advances which will provide autonomous travelling ability to robots, allowing them to surmount stairs and other obstacles. In this paper, we present an active adaptive crawler mechanism and a visual navigating system, developed to achieve practical speed for industrial use of the mobile robot. By using a crawler-type mechanism, the active adaptive suspension mechanism maintains vehicle stability and achieves good climbing capability without increasing weight. Further, we have developed technology for an intelligent navigating mechanism, to guide the robot as it passes through a building. Once the robot is provided with an inner layout plan of the respective building, it can achieve practical mobile speed for industrial use.     

Computationally Efficient Large-Eddy Simulation of Periodic Unsteady Flow using Harmonic Balance Method

To improve the efficiency and fidelity of the numerical analysis for cascade flutter, we propose an efficient scale-resolving simulation method dedicated to time-periodic flows by incorporating the harmonic balance approach into the large-eddy simulation. This method combined convergence calculations of the steady-state problem based on the harmonic balance method for periodic components, and the nonlinear time-marching method for turbulent fluctuations. Using the proposed method, deterministic periodic components and stochastic turbulent fluctuations were calculated simultaneously, and the effect of turbulent fluctuations on deterministic periodic components was directly calculated without using turbulence models. In this paper, we explain the algorithm and feature of this simulation technique and present the results of the computation for channel flow excited in the streamwise direction as an analysis example using the proposed method. In order to validate the proposed method, an analysis of sinusoidally pulsating channel flow at the central friction-velocity Reynolds numbers Rer = 180 was conducted, confirming that the amplitude and phase of the mean velocity oscillation computed by the proposed method were in good agreement with those of the conventional LES. The present calculation achieved an order of magnitude improvement in computational efficiency compared to conventional LES.     

Development of thick-foil and fine-pitch GEMs with a laser etching technique

We have produced thick-foil and fine-pitch gas electron multipliers (GEMs) using a laser etching technique. To improve production yield we have employed a new material, liquid crystal polymer, instead of polyimide as an insulator layer. The effective gain of the thick-foil GEM with a hole pitch of , a hole diameter of , and a thickness of reached a value of 10⁴ at an applied voltage of 720 V. The measured effective gain of the thick-foil and fine-pitch GEM ( pitch, diameter, and thick) was similar to that of the thick-foil GEM. The gain stability was measured for the thick-foil and fine-pitch GEM, showing no significant increase or decrease as a function of elapsed time from applying the high voltage. The gain stability over 3 h of operation was about 0.5%. Gain mapping across the GEM showed a good uniformity with a standard deviation of about 4%. The distribution of hole diameters across the GEM was homogeneous with a standard deviation of about 3%. There was no clear correlation between the gain and hole diameter maps.     

Fast and Almost Complete Nitridation of Mesoporous Silica MCM-41 with Ammonia in a Plug-Flow Reactor

The title reaction proceeded well to yield silicon (oxy)nitride at 973–1323 K using a plug-flow reactor. The degree of nitridation was studied as a function of temperature and time of nitridation, the sample weight, and the flow rate of ammonia. It was dependent on the reaction temperature and the amount of ammonia supplied per sample weight. The nitridation at 1273 K for 10–25 h yielded the oxynitride with 36–39 wt% nitrogen, which was very close to 40 wt% of Si₃N₄. Characterization with X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy measurements, and nitrogen adsorption revealed the conversion of MCM-41 to the corresponding oxynitride without essential loss of the mesoporous structure, the decrements of the lattice constant and the pore diameter by 20–35%, and the increments of the wall thickness by ca. 45%. Solid-state ²⁹Si nuclear magnetic resonance spectra during the nitridation clearly showed fast decrease in SiO₄ species and slow in SiO₃(OH). Various intermediate species, SiO _x N _y (NH₂ or NH) _z , were observed to be formed and finally, ca. 70% SiN₄ species, ca. 20% SiN₃(NH₂ or NH), and ca. 10% SiON₂(NH₂ or NH) were produced, being consistent with the results of the above mentioned elemental analysis.