Minimum Potential of Charged Insulator to Cause Incendiary Discharges

Incendiary discharges can occur when a grounded metal sphere approaches a charged insulator, but there are few studies on its electrostatic potential causing ignition. The aim of this research is to determine the minimum potential required for ignition of flammable gases and vapors mixed with air. Discharges between a charged plastic film and grounded metal spheres are experimentally investigated, and an equation for estimating the discharge energy is presented. Then the minimum potential to produce the incendiary discharge is considered from this equation and compared with the experiments. It becomes clear that the minimum potential is determined by the diameter of the grounded metal sphere, the potential of the charged plastic film, and its apparent capacitance. The results obtained with hydrogen-air and propane-air mixture are reported.     

A study of AC link and DC link method for wind power generation connected to electric power system

In this paper, grid‐connection of wind power generators was evaluated from the viewpoint of frequency fluctuation. Wind power generation is a power generation method that depends on natural energy, and there is some concern that it may exert a negative influence on electric power quality. As a result, it is necessary to maintain high electric power quality when wind power generation is connected to the grid. The AC link method, the AC‐DC link method, and the DC link method are alternatives for grid connection of wind power generators. The model system was constructed with the use of a synchronous generator and an induction generator as wind power generator, and verification experiments were performed. Verification experiments using the various grid‐connection methods for each generator were conducted. The steadiest frequency characteristic was obtained in the DC link method. In particular, the stability level was highest in the wind power generation system using the DC link method with a wound‐rotor induction generator. Generally, induction generators are grid‐connected by the AC link method. Therefore, grid‐connection of induction generators by the DC link method appears effective from the viewpoint of frequency fluctuation. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 178(3): 21–30, 2012; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.21196     

Transcriptional Induction of Metallothionein by Tris(pentafluorophenyl)stibane in Cultured Bovine Aortic Endothelial Cells

Vascular endothelial cells cover the luminal surface of blood vessels and contribute to the prevention of vascular disorders such as atherosclerosis. Metallothionein (MT) is a low molecular weight, cysteine-rich, metal-binding, inducible protein, which protects cells from the toxicity of heavy metals and active oxygen species. Endothelial MT is not induced by inorganic zinc. Adequate tools are required to investigate the mechanisms underlying endothelial MT induction. In the present study, we found that an organoantimony compound, tris(pentafluorophenyl)stibane, induces gene expression of MT-1A and MT-2A, which are subisoforms of MT in bovine aortic endothelial cells. The data reveal that MT-1A is induced by activation of both the MTF-1–MRE and Nrf2–ARE pathways, whereas MT-2A expression requires only activation of the MTF-1–MRE pathway. The present data suggest that the original role of MT-1 is to protect cells from heavy metal toxicity and oxidative stress in the biological defense system, while that of MT-2 is to regulate intracellular zinc metabolism.     

A proposal of a procedure to estimate a standard line for contactless estimation of a solar cell voltage in a module using modulated light

It is important to measure the operating voltage of a cell sealed in a photovoltaic module as well as well-known faults such as abnormal hot spots observed by thermography or a dark part in electroluminescence distribution on the module for detecting a fault module. This paper proposes a method that radiating modulated light toward a cell and extracting the synchronized signal from the module output by phase detector can estimate the operating voltage quantitatively by using a standard line predicted by shading the module partially.     

A differential mobility analyzer and a Faraday cup electrometer for operation at 200–930 Pa pressure

We have developed a differential mobility analyzer (DMA) based on the DMA devised by Seto et al. (1997) and a Faraday cup electrometer for measurement of nanometer-sized particles at a few hundred Pa and examined the operating characteristics of the DMA using the tandem DMA technique. The tandem DMA calibration establishes that the DMA successfully classifies particles in the 200–930 Pa pressure range. It was also found that the transfer function of the DMA follows the triangular transfer function and the resolution of the DMA is close to that given for an ideal case. As a standard of a minimum pressure that may be probed with the present DMA system, 400 Pa is estimated when the DMA operates with a 3 nlmin⁻¹ sheath flow and a 1 nlmin⁻¹ aerosol flow rate.     

Involvement of sensory neurons in bone defect repair in rats

We investigated bone repair in sensory-denervated rats, compared with controls, to elucidate the involvement of sensory neurons. Nine-week-old male Wistar rats received subcutaneous injections of capsaicin to denervate sensory neurons. Rats treated with the same amount of vehicle served as controls. A standardized bone defect was created on the parietal bone. We measured the amount of repaired bone with quantitative radiographic analysis and the mRNA expressions of osteocalcin and cathepsin K with real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Quantitative radiographic analysis showed that the standard deviations and coefficients of variation for the amount of repaired bone were much higher in the capsaicin-treated group than in the control group at any time point, which means that larger individual differences in the amount of repaired bone were found in capsaicin-treated rats than controls. Furthermore, radiographs showed radiolucency in pre-existing bone surrounding the standardized defect only in the capsaicin-treated group, and histological observation demonstrated some multinuclear cells corresponding to the radiolucent area. Real-time PCR indicated that there was no significant difference in the mRNA expression levels of osteocalcin and cathepsin K between the control group and the capsaicin-treated group. These results suggest that capsaicin-induced sensory denervation affects the bone defect repair.