INFORMATION FILTERING FOR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

Information filtering is an intelligent function that selects the relevant messages and items of use or interest to the user from a large amount of incoming information. This function has become very important for the rapid development of network technology. This article focuses on information filtering for the management of emergency situations. We believe that special purpose-built "information filtering systems" should be developed to cope with the problem of information overload in emergency management. In this article, we first investigated features of information in emergent situations and then proposed an information filtering system for emergency management. The proposed system is composed of two parts: causal analysis and information classification. A prototype system has been developed and its effectiveness was evaluated by experiments.     

FLOW IN AGITATED THIN FILM HORIZONTAL EVAPORATOR

Abstract

We made a theoretical analysis for an axial flow of a working liquid of low viscosity without concern for the thermal effects. Variables studied were rotational speed of wiping blades, volumetric flow rate and viscosity.

When the viscosity is low, theoretical values are in proper accord with experimental ones. As a result, we can say that the residence time and the effective area for heat transfer are able to be controlled (when the viscosity is low) by selecting the rotational speed.     

Investigation of Water Tree Degradation in Dry‐Cured and Extruded Three‐Layer (E‐E Type) 6.6‐kV Removed XLPE Cables

Dry‐cured and extruded three‐layer (E‐E type) 6.6‐kV cross‐linked polyethylene (XLPE) cables were introduced into electric power systems more than 30 years ago, but they do not experience failures because of water tree degradation. Also, the degradation index of water treeing for these cables has not been established. Therefore, investigating results of residual breakdown voltage and water tree degradation of these cables will help us plan for cable replacement and determine water tree degradation diagnosis scheduling, and will be fundamental data for cable lifetime evaluation. In this study, the authors measured the ac breakdown voltages of dry‐cured and E‐E type 6.6‐kV XLPE cables removed after 18 to 25 years of operation and observed the water trees in their XLPE insulation. As a result, it was observed that breakdown voltages were larger than the maximum operating voltage (6.9 kV) and the ac voltage for the dielectric withstanding test (10.3 kV). Water trees were mainly bow‐tie water trees and their maximum length was approximately 1 mm. Although the number of measured cables was limited, the lifetime of this type of cable was estimated to be approximately 40 years, even experiencing water immersion.     

Gelation Mechanism of Soybean 11S Globulin: Formation of Soluble Aggregates as Transient Intermediates

Thermal association-dissociation behavior of soybean 11S globulin was investigated by sucrose density gradient centrifugation and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Soluble aggregates with a molecular weight of 8 × 10⁶ were formed when 0.5% and 5% protein solutions were heated for 1 min at 100°C. At the lower protein concentration, subsequent heating caused disappearance of the soluble aggregate followed by complete dissociation into acidic and basic subunits. At the higher concentration, however, subsequent heating caused formation of highly polymerized aggregates, and gel was formed after 5 min of heating. The soluble aggregates appear to be transient intermediates in the course of gel formation of 11S globulin.     

Unique Features of Mobile Commerce

While the market potentials and impacts of web-based e-commerce are still in the ascendant, the advances in wireless technologies and mobile networks have brought about a new business opportunity and research attention, what is termed mobile commerce. Commonly, mobile commerce is considered to be another new application of existing web-based e-commerce onto wireless networks, but as an independent business area, mobile commerce has its own advantages and challenges as opposed to traditional e-commerce applications. This paper focuses on exploring the unique features of mobile commerce as compared with traditional e-commerce. Also, there are still some limitations arisen in m-commerce in contrast to web-based e-commerce. Finally, current state of mobile commerce in Japan is presented in brief, with an introduction of several cases involving mobile commerce applications in today's marketplace.     

Proteolysis Affects Thermal Gelation of Squid Mantle Muscle

Thermal gelation of squid mantle muscle was studied by means of gel strength measurement and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The gel strength of thermally induced squid meat gel decreased when squid meat paste was heated in two steps (35°C for 30 min followed by 90°C for 30 min). This decrease in gel strength was effectively depressed by the addition of protease inhibitors such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), and soybean trypsin inhibitor, indicating that me-tallo- and/or serine-proteases were mainly involved in the deterioration of squid meat gel prepared by two-step heating. SDS-PAGE analysis demonstrated that EDTA or PMSF suppressed the degradation of myosin heavy chain.     

Effects of titanium on magnetic properties of semi-processed non-oriented electrical steel sheets

The effects of titanium inclusions on magnetic properties of non-oriented electrical steel sheets were investigated. The magnetic induction and core loss of test specimens deteriorated as the titanium content increased. Electron microscopic study revealed that the deterioration was classified into two types: one was caused in the steels containing <0.016 wt% titanium by the “pinning effects” of titanium carbonitrides on the recrystallization of cold-rolled sheets, and the other occurred in the steels containing >0.016 wt% titanium by numerous (Fe, Ti)P precipitates in both grains and grain boundaries. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Crystal Structure and Defects of Ordered (Pb1-xCax)TiO3

Crystal structure and defects of ordered ((Pb_{1- x} Ca _x )TiO₃ ceramics have been investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The structure is determined to be tetragonal, belonging to point group 4 mm . Pb and Ca are in an ordered fcc arrangement on the A sites. In addition to the chemical ordering, there is ordering due to atomic shuffling or what has been referred to as electrical ordering. Two distinct sets of planar defects are observed in the same region. One set of planar defects are identified as antiphase boundaries that are the results of chemical ordering and the other set are displacement boundaries that are the results of electrical ordering.     

Effect of antimony surface treatment on nitrogen absorption during batch annealing of an electrical steel sheet

Nitrogen absorption is usually observed during batch-type hot-band annealing of electrical steel sheets containing aluminium. This nitrogenizing causes the deterioration of magnetic properties, such as core loss and induction. In order to prevent nitrogenizing, we investigate an antimony treatment on the hot strip surface of electrical steel sheets containing aluminium. Potassium antimonyl tartrate and colloidal antimony oxides (Sb2O5) are effective against nitrogenizing. It seems that active sites on the surface of the hot strip after pickling are covered with antimony oxides to block the adsorption of nitrogen. Magnetic properties, after cold-rolling and continuous annealing of the nitrogenizing hot band, deteriorate due to small grains near the surface whose boundaries are pinned by aluminium nitrides.