Finite strip analysis of curved composite girders with incomplete interaction

This paper presents a finite strip analysis of curved composite girders with incomplete interaction. In the present analysis curved composite girder bridges are modelled by curved strip elements for the concrete slab and steel girder and spring elements for the shear connectors. The shear connectors are assumed as a two-dimensional spring element along the nodal line. The proposed method is applied to the analysis of curved box girders, curved plates and curved composite girder bridges with complete and incomplete interaction. Some analytical results obtained by this method are compared with the test results and theoretical values obtained by other methods, and they are in good agreement. Slip behavior of curved composite box girders is also discussed based on the results by the proposed method.     

On the identification of time-invariant discrete processes

An identification procedure for determination of coefficients of pulse transfer function is proposed. This procedure is applicable for the case when measurement noises of input and output are independent of input to a process and the variances of the noises are known only in the form of the ratio. The noises can be colored. The criterion used for identification is given by extending the mean-square equation error. The optimal estimates are obtained from the eigenvector of a linear operator which corresponds to the least eigenvalue. The theoretical analysis is given and the direction for the practical usage is suggested to use the least-square error criterion.     

The relationship between ductility and grain-boundary precipitates in an Al-6.0% Zn-2.6% Mg alloy

The relationship between ductility and material parameters such as grain-boundary (GB) precipitate size and dimple size in an Al-6.0% Zn-2.6% Mg alloy has been studied. Under the condition of a given GB precipitate size, the ductility increases with decreasing number of GB precipitates and dimples per unit area. The critical GB precipitate sizes acting as the nuclei for void formation are deduced.     

Phenomenology of the “explosive” crystallization of sputtered non-crystalline germanium films

Certain non-crystalline germanium films (> 10 μm in thickness) prepared by rf-sputtering crystallize “explosively” at room temperature when initiated by pricking the surface with a sharp point (or certain other methods). The propagation velocity of the crystallization at room temperature was found to be as fast a 1200 mm sec^?1 depending somewhat on the conditions of film preparation, thickness, etc. The density of several such crystallizable films was determined as 5.05 g cm^?3±1%. The crystallite size in the crystallized films, measured by X-ray broadening, was typically larger than 500 Å. A model for the crystallization process invokes a cascade energy transfer process, basically thermal in nature.     

Structural identification and software package for linear multivariable systems

This paper is concerned with the structural identification of linear multivariable systems and an interactive identification package. The structural identification is done by taking the time-invariant subsystem from the realizations of the input-output relations identified using data of disjoint time intervals, and the statistical hypothesis test is employed to determine the order, where the input-output relation is identified based on the generalized least squares method using the possibly larger model for the plant. The identification package is for the identification of the input-output relation of a linear multivariable system, for the structural identification based on the realization and for data management.     

Prognostic predictor with multiple fuzzy neural models using expression profiles from DNA microarray for metastases of breast cancer

Gene expression profiling data from DNA microarray were analyzed using the fuzzy neural network (FNN) modeling method for predicting the distant metastases of breast cancer. The best model consisting of five genes was able to predict metastases of breast cancer with 94% accuracy. Furthermore, 100% accuracy was achieved by majoritarian decision using only 25 genes from five noninferior models which were constructed independently. From the constructed model, gene expression rules, which may cause distant metastases, were explicitly extracted and 60% of the metastases cases could be explained by this rule. The FNN modeling method described in this paper enables precise extraction of significant biological markers affecting prognosis without prior knowledge.     

Development of a unidirectional cooling technique for synthesizing compound semiconductors in 10 m drop tower

The solidification process and structures of CdTe solidified in microgravity were studied using the unidirectional cooling apparatus in a 10 m drop tower. Since the drop tower provides 1.4 seconds of microgravity, the unidirectional cooling apparatus cools samples rapidly by cooling gas. The system adopts a Pt heater, which accurately heats samples to a maximum of 1300°C. The sample is placed in an ampoule under vacuum conditions. A flat wall in the ampoule divides the inner sealed sample from the outer open side. A nozzle blowing cooling gas is directed on to the outer wall, and cools the sample until solidification. The cooling properties were measured during CdTe solidification in microgravity. The result shows that solidification occurred between 0.9 and 1.3 seconds after release, so solidification is completed in microgravity. Optical microscope (OM) observation of the sample solidified in microgravity revealed that it produces CdTe and Te phases with segregation patterns, and the structures are ordered along the cooling direction, whereas no order is observed in the structures of the terrestrial sample solidified under 1 g.     

Resonator filters using shear horizontal-type leaky surface acoustic wave consisting of heavy-metal electrode and quartz substrate

The authors have succeeded in exciting a new type of leaky surface acoustic wave (LSAW) having only a shear horizontal (SH) component that has a large electromechanical coupling factor, a large reflection coefficient, and excellent temperature stability, by combining interdigital transducers (IDTs) and reflectors made of heavy-metal films such as gold (Au), tantalum (Ta), and tungsten (W) on the ST-cut 90/spl deg/ X propagation (direction perpendicular to the X-axis) quartz substrate. This LSAW does not have a propagation decay. The square of the electromechanical coupling factor is 2.1-2.7 times larger than, the reflection coefficient is 30 times larger than, and the temperature characteristic is the same as those of a Rayleigh wave on an ST-cut X propagation quartz substrate. The authors applied this SH LSAW to resonators and resonator filters. As a result, we succeeded in developing the low loss and very small-sized resonators and resonator filters (1/5-1/4 of conventional device sizes) with IDTs with a small number of finger pairs and very small reflectors, for the first time.