An evaluation of volcanic cloud detection techniques during recent significant eruptions in the western ‘Ring of Fire’

We examined recent volcanic cloud events in the Western Pacific and Indonesian area, to validate the performance of remote sensing techniques used to support the International Airways Volcano Watch (IAVW). Five events were considered, during which eruptions from eight volcanoes injected ash into the upper troposphere or lower stratosphere. For one of the eruptions, at Miyakejima, Japan, at least five aircraft encountered volcanic ash clouds, and the cost to three operators alone exceeded US $12,000,000 in aircraft repairs, diversions, and lost operating time. We performed ‘reverse’ absorption and ‘pattern analysis’ using GMS-5/VISSR, MODIS and AVHRR data, and we examined TOMS SO₂ and Aerosol Index data, surface-based observations, pilot reports, and dispersion model output. Our results verify that the introduction of ‘reverse’ absorption using the geostationary GMS-5 platform significantly enhanced our capacity to monitor volcanic ash clouds in the region. In one case, we tracked an eruption cloud for approximately 80 h. The primary impediment to remote monitoring is the presence of overlying cloud, or substantial amounts of ice within the volcanic clouds. TOMS data showed success in identifying volcanic clouds during these conditions, but was limited by the infrequency of observations. More effective future operation of the IAVW relies on developing complementary methods of volcanic cloud remote sensing, and greatly increasing the amount and quality of available surface and air observations, including observations of precursor activity. An understanding of the likely future limitations of remote sensing techniques will aid in the refining of IAVW procedures.     

Calculation of the loss‐minimum configuration in the IEEJ local power system model

In Japan, local power systems (77 kV) are served from the 275‐ or 154‐kV substations. For enhancement of power supply reliability, the transmission lines are connected to several substations, and the operational configuration is radial. The local power system's configuration is determined by connecting and disconnecting transmission lines so as to keep the radial structure and satisfy the operation constraints. When a local power system has a number of transmission lines, many configuration candidates occur. Recently, an IEEJ committee made a practical scale local system model (IEEJ Local System Model). Since the IEEJ Local System Model has 76 transmission lines, the total number of configuration candidates is 2⁷⁶ (approximately 7.5 × 10²²). In this paper, the authors try to strictly obtain the loss‐minimum configuration under constraints such as substation capacity, line capacity, and radial structure in the IEEJ Local System Model. In order to obtain the optimal configuration, a new computation algorithm is proposed. In the proposed algorithm, the configuration determination problem is replaced as two combinatorial optimization problems based on the operational constraints [(1) substation capacity, (2) line capacity, and (3) radial structure]. One combinatorial optimization problem (subproblem 1) is to pick up all partial configurations so as to minimize total line loss under the substation capacity constraint. By using the enumeration method, subproblem 1 is solved. Subproblem 2 is solved by using the reduced ordered binary decision diagram (ROBDD). Since the proposed method is based on enumeration and Boolean function, the optimality of obtained solution is guaranteed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 146(4): 34–42, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.10226     

Promoting GMP implementation: developing training materials for the international audience.

This paper outlines the development of a CD-ROM training package entitled: The WHO Basic Training Modules on GMP, intended to support the creation of training courses aimed particularly at government compliance officials who inspect pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities. The material was created over a three-year period in collaboration with a team of external experts, WHO regional and local offices, and Drug Regulatory Authorities of participating countries. The nine training workshops and courses that contributed to the development and evaluation processes were attended by approximately 240 participants from 47 countries. To date over 5,800 copies of the CD-ROM have been distributed.     

Dissolution of nickel hydroxide in ammoniacal aqueous solutions

The dissolution of nickel hydroxide in ammoniacal solutions was investigated to develop a new recycling process for nickel-metal hydride batteries. The effects of temperature, total ammonia concentration, and pH of the solution were examined in the range of 30 °C to 60 °C, 3.0 to 5.0 M, and 9.0 to 10.7, respectively. All dissolution-time curves showed sigmoidal shapes, which could be approximately expressed by the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Yerofeev-Kolmogrov (JMAYK) equation. The hydroxide particles were pitted, and some of them were broken into fragments in the course of the dissolution. An increase in the surface area of the hydroxide particles due to the formation of pits and fragmentation seemed to be the reason for the acceleration of dissolution in the early stage. The surface area of the hydroxide was measured by the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, and the dissolution rate per surface area was determined. The activation energy for the dissolution was obtained as 100±10 kJ mol⁻¹, which confirmed that the dissolution was controlled by chemical reactions at the hydroxide/liquid interface. The dissolution rate was increased by the increase in ammonia concentration, and the highest rate was observed at pH ca. 10.     

Hydrogen production by co-cultures of Lactobacillus and a photosynthetic bacterium, Rhodobacter sphaeroides RV

Hydrogen production with glucose by using co-immobilized cultures of a lactic acid bacterium, Lactobacillus delbrueckii NBRC13953, and a photosynthetic bacterium, Rhodobacter sphaeroides RV, in agar gels was studied. Glucose was converted to hydrogen gas in a yield of 7.1 mol of hydrogen per mole of glucose at a maximum under illuminated conditions.     

Optical Properties of Au-Pt and Au-Pt-In Alloys

The effects of platinum addition to gold and indium addition to a gold-platinum alloy on their optical properties were investigated using a computer-controlled spectrophotometer. Spectral reflectance data from a polished sample for the incident CIE standard illuminant D65 was collected as a function of the wavelength at 10 nm intervals from 360 to 740 nm. Three coordinates,L* (lightness),a* (red-green),b* (yellow-blue), in the CIE 1976L*a*b* colour space, were determined to quantify the colour of experimental binary Au-Pt and ternary Au-Pt-In alloys. p ]The pronounced step near 520 nm (approximately 2.4 eV) in the spectral reflectance-wavelength curve for pure gold, which is responsible for the rich yellow colour of gold, became less pronounced with the addition of platinum. The decoloring effect of platinum was found to be due to this phenomenon. The addition of indium of up to ca 4 at% to a Au-10 at% Pt alloy increased both chromaticity indices, ie,a* andb* values, giving a gold tinge to the alloy: this effect was brought about by both the slight increase in reflectance in the long-wavelength range and the slight decrease in reflectance in the short-wavelength range of the visible spectrum.     

Resource recovery of cupola dust: Study on sorptive property and mechanism for hydrogen sulfide

Properties and mechanism for sorption of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) by cupola dust, which is formed by the solidification of gas exhausted from cupola furnaces, have been investigated through the characterizations, aiming at recycling as the desulfurization. From the results, the sorptive property was found to be induced by spinel-type crystals such as (Mn_xZn_1−x)(Mn_yFe_1−y)₂O₄ solid solutions in spherical matrixes comprising of amorphous SiO₂ at room temperature in existence of water vapor. The further examination on the spinel-type crystals extracted by NaOH treatments revealed that H₂S was dissolved in water adsorbed on the surface of the spinel-type crystals, and reacted with metal ions released from them. In addition, the H₂S sorptive property was indicated to depend on amounts of Mn and Zn in the spinel-type crystals.     

Improvement of boundary lubrication properties of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films due to metal addition

The effects of added materials such as metals like titanium (Ti), molybdenum (Mo) and iron (Fe) diamond-like carbon (DLC) films on boundary lubrication and microtribological properties were investigated. The nanoindentation hardness and microwear resistance can be improved by adding the proper metal to DLC films, as evaluated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Boundary lubrication properties of DLC films with metals are improved as comparing with DLC films without metal under lubricant with both MoDTC and ZDDP additives. Moreover, lower friction coefficient of μ=0.03 than carburized steel is exhibited with the appropriate quantity of Ti added. The tribochemical reactant was formed on the sliding surface of the Ti-containing DLC film like as carburized steel. Higher mechanical damping materials containing elements, such as Mo, Zn, P and S, formed tribochemical reactors as observed by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and AFM force modulation methods.     

Improvement of the physical properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) by copolymerization with pentafluorophenyl methacrylate

Copolymers of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and pentafluorophenyl methacrylate (PFPMA) of various compositions were prepared with a free‐radical initiator. When PFPMA was included in the copolymers, the glass‐transition temperatures increased and showed a positive deviation from the Gordon–Taylor equation. A copolymer containing 20 wt % PFPMA exhibited almost zero orientational birefringence, and the photoelastic birefringence became zero when the copolymer contained 13 wt % PFPMA. When 20 wt % PFPMA was incorporated into the MMA copolymer, its water absorption decreased to 0.4 wt % versus 1.8 wt % for poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) under the same condition. The flammability of the PFPMA/MMA copolymer was reduced in comparison with that of the MMA homopolymer. The refractive indices of the PFPMA/MMA copolymers were very close to that of PMMA, and the transmittances of the copolymers were slightly better than that of PMMA. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007