A method to improve the stability of adaptive steering driver-vehicle systems

If the behavior of a combined vehicle tracks the behavior of an ideal vehicle model, the good handling performance can be maintained with large variations in the dynamics of the combined vehicles. Based on this notion, we have developed an adaptive steering controller which achieves good tracking performance. However, we designed an ideal vehicle model without considering variations in the abilities of the driver. If an adequate ideal vehicle model can be designed which can adapt to variations in the abilities of the drivers, a better handling performance of an adaptive combined driver-vehicle system can be realized. In this article, attention is focused on the lane change maneuver and the cornering maneuver, and we propose a new scheme to design an ideal vehicle model which can adapt to variations in the abilities of the driver. Finally, by carrying out numerical simulations, it is shown that the ideal vehicle model which was designed is very effective.     

Preparation of Hydrothermally Solidified Mesoporous Materials from Diatomaceous Earth for Moisture Control Application

Mesoporous materials were prepared by hydrothermal treatment of a powder compact consisting of natural or calcined diatomaceous earth and slaked lime. Tobermorite formed after the hydrothermal process, leading to strength improvement. The structure tangled with each tobermorite particle, causing the formation of mesopores. The bending strength and mesopore volume of the hydrothermally solidified materials derived from calcined diatomaceous earth was much higher than those derived from natural diatomaceous earth. Impurities in the natural diatomaceous earth suppressed the crystallization and growth of tobermorite, which plays an important role in strength improvement and mesopore formation. Water vapor adsorption–desorption isotherms showed that the amount of adsorbed moisture on the two kinds of hydrothermally solidified materials was almost the same.     

Elucidation of the interaction among cellulose,xylan, and lignin in steam gasification of woody biomass

The reaction mechanism for gas and tar evolution in the steam gasification of cellulose, lignin, xylan, and real biomass (pulverized eucalyptus) was investigated with a continuous cross‐flow moving bed type differential reactor, in which tar and gases can be fractionated according to reaction time. In the steam gasification of real biomass, the evolution rates of water‐soluble tar (derived from cellulose and hemicelluloses) and water‐insoluble tar (derived from lignin) decrease with increasing reaction time. It was found that the evolution of water‐soluble tar occurs earlier than in the gasification of pure cellulose, indicating an interaction of the three components. The predicted yield of water‐insoluble tar is substantially less than that of real biomass. This implies that the evolution of tar from the lignin component of biomass is enhanced, compared with pure lignin gasification, by other components. The gas evolution rate from real biomass is similar to that predicted by the superposition of cellulose, lignin, and xylan. © 2008 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009     

Application and monitoring of SF6 gas‐insulated NGR (neutral grounding resistor) using ceramic resistors

About 15 years have passed since ceramic‐resistor NGRs (Neutral Grounding Resistors) were developed as new materials for power equipment. This paper describes the cumulative numbers of applications of ceramic‐resistor‐type SF₆ gas‐insulated NGRs and the typical construction of the 22‐, 66‐, and 110‐kV NGRs, and also describes monitoring methods for measuring the residual leakage current of the 110‐kV NGR that depend on the neutral unbalance voltage of power transformers, and the use of thermal detection devices for the ceramic resistors of the 66‐kV NGRs. © 2001 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 137(4): 32–37, 2001     

喷雾干燥法制备Li1+2xMn0.3+xNi0.3-3xCr0.4O2的结构与电化学性能

使用喷雾干燥法制备了Li_1+2xMn_0.3+xNi_0.3-3xCr_0.4O₂ (x=1/60、1/30、1/20、1/15、1/12)系列样品, 并借助XRD, SEM, ICP, XPS, IR和Raman等手段对所制备系列样品的结构、价态及电化学性能进行了表征。研究表明, Li_1+2xMn_0.3+xNi_0.3-3xCr_0.4O₂ 系列样品均具有典型的富锂层状固溶体型的晶体结构特征, 且在其XRD图谱中未观测到任何杂相的存在。然而, XPS的数据表明Cr³⁺与Cr⁶⁺共存于各个样品中, 且由于Cr⁶⁺的存在使得样品表现出强烈的吸湿性。Cr⁶⁺可通过水洗处理去除。对于它们的电化学特征而言, 未经水洗处理的样品由于具有强烈的吸湿性, 其电化学性能很差。水洗处理后的系列样品表现出典型的三元富锂层状固溶体的电化学行为, 其首次放电比容量随着样品中Li和Mn含量的增加而增大。样品Li_1.17Mn_0.38Ni_0.05Cr_0.4O₂的首次放电比容量为203 mA h/g, 50次循环后容量保持率为71%。     

High lithium ionic conductivity in the garnet-type oxide Li7−X La3(Zr2−X, NbX)O12 (X = 0-2)

Lithium garnet-type oxides Li_7−XLa₃(Zr_2−X, Nb_X)O₁₂ (X = 0-2) were synthesized by a solid-state reaction, and their lithium ion conductivity was measured using an AC impedance method at temperatures ranging from 25 to 150 °C in air. The lithium ion conductivity increased with increasing Nb content, and reached a maximum of ∼0.8 mS cm⁻¹ at 25 °C. By contrast, the activation energy reached a minimum of ∼30 kJ mol⁻¹ at the same point with X = 0.25. The potential window was examined by cyclic voltammetry (CV), which showed lithium deposition and dissolution peaks around 0 V vs. Li⁺/Li, but showed no evidence of other reactions up to 9 V vs. Li⁺/Li.     

One-pot synthesis of iron oxide-carbon core-shell particles in supercritical water

The quantitatively limited use of hydrogen peroxide in supercritical water allows for the in situ formation of iron oxides and graphitic carbon from ferrocene in one step. The structure of the particles prepared at 400-500 °C is comprised of nano- to micro-meter size of magnetite and maghemite cores covered with graphitic carbon shells. The morphology and size of the core-shell particles and the phase composition of iron-oxide cores are different dependent on the preparation conditions. The particles prepared at 400 °C contain, as dominant iron-oxide phase, the magnetite core particles ranging from nano- to micro-meter scales with no morphological regularity, while those prepared at 500 °C are comprised of hexagram shape and micro-meter size of maghemite cores. The observed morphology, the dimension of the core particles, and the dominant phase composition suggested that the iron-oxide cores would be formed through the oxidation of iron(II) to iron(III) and two different hydrolysis paths. Furthermore, the higher preparation temperature of 500 °C has shown a tendency to form smaller crystallite sizes of polycrystalline iron-oxide cores. The decrease of subcrystal sizes in the vicinity of superparamagnetic thresholds effects the reduction of coercivity in the ferromagnetic hysteresis.     

Aggregation of Cystatin C Changes Its Inhibitory Functions on Protease Activities and Amyloid β Fibril Formation

Cystatin C (CST3) is an endogenous cysteine protease inhibitor, which is implicated in cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). In CAA, CST3 is found to be aggregated. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether this aggregation could alter the activity of the protein relevant to the molecular pathology of CAA. A system of CST3 protein aggregation was established, and the aggregated protein was characterized. The results showed that CST3 aggregated both at 80 °C without agitation, and at 37 °C with agitation in a time-dependent manner. However, the levels of aggregation were high and appeared earlier at 80 °C. Dot-blot immunoassay for oligomers revealed that CST3 could make oligomeric aggregates at the 37 °C condition. Electron microscopy showed that CST3 could make short fibrillary aggregates at 37 °C. Cathepsin B activity assay demonstrated that aggregated CST3 inhibited the enzyme activity less efficiently at pH 5.5. At 7.4 pH, it lost the inhibitory properties almost completely. In addition, aggregated CST3 did not inhibit Aβ_1-40 fibril formation, rather, it slightly increased it. CST3 immunocytochemistry showed that the protein was positive both in monomeric and aggregated CST3-treated neuronal culture. However, His6 immunocytochemistry revealed that the internalization of exogenous recombinant CST3 by an astrocytoma cell culture was higher when the protein was aggregated compared to its monomeric form. Finally, MTT cell viability assay showed that the aggregated form of CST3 was more toxic than the monomeric form. Thus, our results suggest that aggregation may result in a loss-of-function phenotype of CST3, which is toxic and responsible for cellular degeneration.