Power Generation of a p-Type Ca3Co4O9/n-Type CaMnO3 Module

Thermoelectric modules composed of eight pairs of p -type Ca_2.7Bi_0.3Co₄O₉ (Co-349) and n -type CaMn_0.98Mo_0.02O₃ (Mn-113) bulks were constructed using Ag electrodes and paste including powder of the n -type oxide. The former bulks were prepared by hot pressing. On the other hand, the latter were densified using a cold isostatic pressing technique and sintered in atmospheric pressure. Dimensions of both oxide legs were 5 mm wide and thick and 4.5 mm high. An alumina plate was used as a substrate, and there was no alumina plate on the other side of the modules. When the substrate side was heated, the module could generate up to 1.0 V and 0.17 W of open circuit voltage ( V _O) and maximum power ( P _max), respectively, at a hot-side temperature of 1273 K (furnace temperature as a heat source) and a cold-side temperature of 298 K (circulated water temperature) in air. But internal resistance R _I reached a value of 1.5 Ω, which is about six times higher than the calculated one from resistivity of both p - and n -type bulks. When the substrate side was cooled, V _O and P _max reached 0.7 V and 0.34 W of V _O and P _max, respectively, at a furnace temperature of 1273 K.     

Effect of different pasteurization conditions on bioactivities of Lupinus albus protein isolates

Lupin protein isolate was extracted following the procedure in European Patent (EP 1024 706 B1) in order to use lupin protein for food and pharmaceutical applications. The acid insoluble/neutral pH soluble protein isolate was pasteurized at 65-125 °C for 10-1000 s. The objective of this study is finding out reasonable pasteurization condition for food use, or for good bioactivities like radical scavenging, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition, and bile acid binding activity. Pasteurization at 65 °C for 10 s did not reduce the microbial count of the protein sufficiently for use in foods. The chemical composition of lupin protein isolates had no change by various pasteurization. The angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition decreased and the DPPH radical scavenging capacity increased after high temperature treatment at 125 °C. The sodium cholate binding capacity was not affected by tested conditions. Pasteurization at higher temperature is useful for producing selective bioactive fractions with suitable microbiological properties.     

The Formation of β‐Damascenone in Sweet Potato Shochu

The formation of β‐damascenone during shochu manufacture was investigated by quantifying β‐damascenone at each stage of manufacturing. Steamed sweet potato has a low level of free β‐damascenone (0.02–0.1 μg/g). During fermentation, β‐damascenone was produced in small quantities that were degraded by yeast. Thus, the second mash accumulates little free β‐damascenone (approximately 17 μg/L). The concentration profile in the fractionated distillate showed that β‐damascenone was produced during heating. Most β‐damascenone in shochu was formed during distillation, not during steam heating and fermentation. It is suggested that the level of β‐damascenone in shochu could be increased by reducing the pH of the second mash and prolonging the distillation period. Sweet potato cultivars differed in total free and hydrolyzed β‐damascenone content and there was a strong association between each cultivar and its shochu β‐damascenone content. The selection of the sweet potato cultivar is important for determining the quantity of β‐damascenone in a shochu brew.     

Viscosity measurement of gelcasting slurry during in-situ gelation by a micro X-ray CT scan system

This paper reports the use of a micro X-ray CT scan system to measure the viscosity increase during in-situ gelation of a gelcasting slurry. Three small steel balls were dropped in the slurry at a desired time interval after the addition of the gelling agent, while being monitored by the CT scan system. It was determined that the plot of the logarithm of the calculated viscosities based on the settling velocity of the falling ball versus the gelation time can be classified into three regions with increasing slopes. The first region is designated as the idle time during which the gelcasting slurry can be further processed and cast into a mold. The second region is the onset of gelation during which the polymer networks start to form with a gradual increase in the viscosity, whereas the third region is attributed to the increased concentration of the polymerized networks as typified by the significant increase in the slurry viscosity. Moreover, the falling ball method was found to be more sensitive to detecting the onset of gel formation in the gelcasting slurry than stress-controlled rheometric analyses.     

A multibranch exchange method for distribution loss minimization

This paper presents a multibranch exchange method for reconfiguration of distribution systems to reduce their line losses. In this method several switches are closed and opened simultaneously in each branch exchange operation to expand the search neighborhood. The switches to be closed are selected as the intermediate systems will be meshed configuration. Sequential branch opening method can be applied to open the switches to obtain the radial configuration efficiently. Test examples show the effectiveness of the proposed method in the case of double branch exchange. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 174(1): 40–48, 2011; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.21015     

Socio-demographic Variations of Homeowners and Differential Effects of Parental Homeownership on Offspring's Housing Tenure

Previous research indicates a positive effect of parental homeownership on offspring's homeownership, but rarely tests whether the effect is due to self-selectivity. In the context of socio-demographic variations of American homeowners, this study extends previous research by examining the differential effects of parental ownership of a single-family home. The current study employs the Panel Studies of Income Dynamics data, using propensity score matching to address self-selection problems. The results suggest that the intergenerational effect of parental housing tenure has been differentiated by race, income and the housing tenure history of parents while reinforcing inequality. Even within the same housing tenure, offspring of socio-economically disadvantaged groups are less likely to take advantage of parental homeownership in attaining a single-family owner-occupied home.     

Phoswich detectors combining doubly or triply ZnS(Ag), NE102A, BGO and/or NaI(Tl) scintillators for simultaneous counting of α, β and γ rays

Phoswich detectors for simultaneous counting of α, β and γ rays have been developed: ZnS(Ag)/Au Mylar/NE102A, ZnS(Ag)/Au Mylar/BGO and ZnS(Ag)/NaI(Tl) for α and β(γ) rays and ZnS(Ag)/Au Mylar/NE102A/BGO and ZnS(Ag)/NE102A/NaI(Tl) for α, β and γ rays. They were prepared by coupling a ZnS(Ag) film scintillator for α counting with a scintillator(s) for β and γ counting having different rise time. In order to adjust each component of pulse height within a given dynamic range, a sheet of Au-coated Mylar (Au Mylar) was used, if necessary, as an optical ND filter for lowering transmittance of scintillation of the ZnS(Ag). Characteristics of these phoswiches were examined by a technique of pulse-shape discrimination. Excellent discrimination among the radiations was attained and small tailings from each other peak were obtained for the prepared phoswiches.     

GaAs varactor diodes for u.h.f. TV tuners fabricated by ion implantation

Gallium-arsenide varactor diodes have been developed by using ion implantation techniques. Diode series resistance is around 0.25 ? and uniform among diodes. The standard deviation of resistance distribution is 11.6%. Capacitance variation ratio, C3/C25, is about 5.7.