An inverse analysis of two-phase Stefan problems using imaginary heat sources

This paper presents a new methodology for the inverse analysis of time-dependent two-phase Stefan problems. The problem considered here is that of determining the time dependence of a phase-change interface at several observed temperatures. In our method, imaginary heat sources are arranged in an imaginary domain and then the phase-change interface is identified as the isothermal surface at the melting temperature by controlling the imaginary heat source intensities. Using delta-function imaginary heat sources and their corresponding Green functions, which are pre-calculated numerically, it is shown that the phase-change interface is determined non-iteratively at each time step. We offer numerical examples to demonstrate the capability of the proposed method. © 1998 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Jpn Res, 27(3): 179–191, 1998     

Permeation decomposition of urea through asymmetrically urease-immobilized ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer membranes

Urease-immobilized ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVA) membrane was prepared by the covalent bonding of urease on EVA membrane activated with cyanuric chloride. The urease-immobilized EVA membrane had optimum pH at about 7.0 similar to native urease. The Michaelis constant (K_m) and the maximum velocity (V_m) of the urease-immobilized EVA membrane were smaller than those of native urease. When the EVA membrane, prepared on a polyethylene (PE) plate by the phase inversion method, was used as a support, urease was asymmetrically distributed in the direction of cross section of the urease-immobilized EVA membrane. The permeation decomposition of urea through the asymmetrically urease-immobilized EVA membrane depended on the asymmetric distribution of urease in the membrane. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 63: 1579–1588, 1997     

Robot vision robust to changes of lighting conditions using a wide-dynamic-range visual sensor

We have developed a robust vision system for 2D positioning of industrial parts stable to changes of lighting conditions. A wide dynamic range vision sensor that we had developed previously was used to avoid the saturation of object images. Additionally, a gray scale pattern matching technique was employed for robust image processing. Performance of the system with a wide dynamic range vision sensor was investigated experimentally in comparison with that of a system with a conventional video camera. The probability of correct positioning of an object under changing lighting conditions, simulating those in a factory, was 100% for the wide dynamic range vision sensor and 83% for the conventional video camera. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the developed system, revealing that dynamic range expansion of the video cameras is very effective for realizing robust robot vision systems. © 1997 Scripta Technica, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 120(2): 34–40, 1997     

Heat transfer correlation of film boiling from a downward-facing horizontal circular plate

Correlation equations for saturated and subcooled film boiling heat transfer from a downward-facing horizontal circular plate are proposed based on a theoretical study using an integral method. For the case of subcooled liquids, a dimensionless heat transfer parameter is introduced to effectively correlate within ±15% the experimental data obtained under both quenching and steady-state conditions. © 1998 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Jpn Res, 26(7): 459–468, 1997     

Linked‐BINOL: An Approach towards Practical Asymmetric Multifunctional Catalysis

The development and application of a novel linked‐1,1′‐binaphthol (linked‐BINOL) as an approach towards practical asymmetric multifunctional catalysis is described. Linked‐BINOL was first designed to increase the stability of a Ga‐Li‐BINOL complex against ligand exchange with 4‐methoxyphenol. An oxygen‐containing linked‐BINOL, which is a semi crown ether, was effective in both promoting the formation of a monomer complex and increasing the stability of the Ga‐Li complex. A Ga‐Li‐linked‐BINOL complex promoted the epoxide opening reaction in up to 96% enantiomeric excess (ee). Second, based on the X‐ray structural information of the Ga‐Li‐linked‐BINOL complex, we designed a more stable lanthanide linked‐BINOL complex. An air‐stable, storable, and reusable La‐linked‐BINOL complex promoted the Michael reaction in up to >99% ee. The catalyst activity remained unchanged after storage under air for 4 weeks. Calculations suggested that the linked‐BINOL would function as a pentadentate ligand in a lanthanum complex, thus efficiently improving the stability of the complex. Finally, the linked‐BINOL was applied to a new homobimetallic multifunctional catalysis. A dinuclear Zn‐Zn‐linked‐BINOL complex promoted the enantio‐ and diastereoselective direct aldol reaction in up to 99% ee, where one Zn cation might function as a Lewis acid and the other Zn‐phenoxide as a Brønsted base.     

High Resolution Structure of the Mature Capsid of Ralstonia solanacearum Bacteriophage ϕRSA1 by Cryo-Electron Microscopy

The ϕRSA1 bacteriophage has been isolated from Ralstonia solanacearum, a gram negative bacteria having a significant economic impact on many important crops. We solved the three-dimensional structure of the ϕRSA1 mature capsid to 3.9 Å resolution by cryo-electron microscopy. The capsid shell, that contains the 39 kbp of dsDNA genome, has an icosahedral symmetry characterized by an unusual triangulation number of T = 7, dextro. The ϕRSA1 capsid is composed solely of the polymerization of the major capsid protein, gp8, which exhibits the typical “Johnson” fold first characterized in E. coli bacteriophage HK97. As opposed to the latter, the ϕRSA1 mature capsid is not stabilized by covalent crosslinking between its subunits, nor by the addition of a decoration protein. We further describe the molecular interactions occurring between the subunits of the ϕRSA1 capsid and their relationships with the other known bacteriophages.     

Implementation of vibration suppression control on FWL processor

In motion or process control systems, a variety of design techniques have been proposed because of the demand for high performance. The higher performance we demand, the higher the degree of the controller becomes. The controller is generally designed by a CAD system and implemented with a microprocessor. But the microprocessor does not have enough precision to realize the results of design by the CAD system. Therefore, the system performance is degraded by finite word length (FWL) effects. To deal with FWL problems, many design methods have been considered in the signal processing field, and high‐ordered digital filters are often used. Among these methods, the implementation technique based on the state‐space realization can minimize the sensitivity to perturbation of coefficients. Noting that optimal realizations with the same transfer function are unique only up to an orthogonal similarity transformation, we must choose the realization within this class of optimal realizations. In this paper, we present an algorithm to find a state‐space realization which minimizes the frequency‐weighted sensitivity measure of the controller performance. Furthermore, we present some experimental results to verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. © 1999 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 128(1): 45–52, 1999