Formation of a-C thin films by plasma-based ion implantation

Carbon films were prepared on a Si wafer substrate by using a plasma-based ion implantation (PBII) technique. The homogeneity of the carbon films formed on the three-dimensional object and the influence of the duty ratio of the pulse bias tothe target on the property of the carbon films were investigated. The homogeneity of the carbon films formed on a convex face and that formed on a concave face by the incidence of the microwave to the target with a low angle of about — 30° wasalmost a constant. The application of the ECR plasma source, with a mirror field, to the PBII system was efficient enoughtoimprove the homogeneity, even though the plasma density was not very high. Diamond-like carbon films with a flat surface and a low friction coefficient can be formed by applying negative high-voltage pulses to a substrate with a low duty ratio of 1%.     

Antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium isolated from cattle in Japan

The antimicrobial susceptibility of 144 Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium isolates collected from all over Japan between 1973 and 1998 were investigated. All the isolates exhibited resistance to four or more antimicrobials and 22 resistance patterns were observed. Isolates showing resistance patterns to ampicillin (A), chloramphenicol (C), streptomycin (S), sulfonamides (Su) and tetracycline (T), which are typical resistance patterns for S. Typhimurium DT104 (DT104), were predominant. Thirty-six of the 68 isolates that exhibited resistance to five or more antimicrobials (ACSSuT+) were identified as DT104 by phage typing. Another 103 S. Typhimurium strains gathered from cattle between 1977 and 1999 in a limited area of Japan were analyzed for molecular epidemiological studies. Results using fluorescent amplified-fragment length polymorphism and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis suggest that clonal exchange of S. Typhimurium among cattle in Japan has occurred since 1992, and that contemporary strains show a remarkable degree of homogeneity with DT104 at a molecular level. The clonal replacement by DT104 affected the antimicrobial resistance pattern of S. Typhimurium from cattle in Japan.     

Electron scattering by Friedel oscillations in carbon nanotubes

Multi-walled carbon nanotube networks were confirmed to exhibit a linear decrease in resistivity with increasing temperature from 100 to above 400 K.The linearity was explained using a defect scattering model that involved Friedel oscillations(that is,electron-electron interactions).The applicability of this model,which was originally proposed for graphene,to carbon nanotubes was assessed based on a comparison of various experimental data.Increases in the slopes of the resistivity-temperature plots following the introduction of defects,as well as an effect of charge concentration on the slope were key predictions of this model.The results obtained from few-walled carbon nanotube networks are also shown.In the literature,linear resistivity-temperature plots were obtained from other graphene derivatives,indicating that the linearity originates from the hexagonal symmetry of these materials.The present work also indicated a relationship between the appearance of linearity and negative magnetoresistance above 100 K.Based on a mechanism incorporating scattering in association with Friedel oscillations and conventional electron conduction models,the universality of resistivity-temperature plots obtained from carbon nanotube networks is introduced.     

A three‐phase,active power filter with a predictive‐instantaneous‐current PWM controller

One of the most emphasized problems to be solved in power systems in recent years is the line‐current harmonics problem. This is due to the use of diode rectifiers, PWM converters, nonlinear loads, and so on. To reduce or eliminate such current harmonics, an active power filter (APF), which is a sophisticated power electronic converter, has been studied and used in some practical applications. In this paper, we propose and discuss two new control methods for three‐phase shunt APFs: the sinusoidal line‐current control method and the instantaneous‐reactive‐power compensation control method. They are based on pulsewidth prediction control, or a predictive‐instantaneous‐current PWM control. Neither any instantaneous power information nor coordinate transformation is necessary for control. In the sinusoidal line‐current control scheme, the controller governs the switching devices of the APF by using the pulse width that is optimally predetermined at the beginning of every switching period with the sinusoidal current reference. The line currents flow sinusoidally and are in phase with the voltage accordingly. In the instantaneous‐reactive‐power compensation control, the control is performed so that the resultant circuit of the load and the APF is regarded as a time‐variant conductance circuit model. The APF with this control scheme can cancel effectively the instantaneous reactive component produced by the load though the controller is simple. This paper discusses the performance characteristics of the APFs when a three‐phase diode rectifier and an unbalanced load are connected to the line. The practicability of the proposed methods is verified by experiment. © 1999 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 130(3): 68–76, 2000     

Contents of eleven phthalates and di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate in retail packed lunches after prohibition of DEHP-containing PVC gloves for cooking purposes

Ten samples of retail packed lunches purchased from convenience stores were determined for 11 phthalates and di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA) in August 2000, 2 months after the prohibition of DEHP-containing PVC gloves in Japan. Each homogenized sample was extracted with acetonitrile, partitioned with n-hexane, and cleaned up using Florisil and PSA columns. Phthalates in the extract were determined by GC/MS (SIM). The limits of detection were 14.9 ng/g for di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and 18.6 ng/g for dibutyl phthalate (DBP). Levels of phthalates in packed lunch samples were 45 to 517 ng DEHP/g (198 ng/g, average), ND to 90 ng DEHA/g, and ND to 10.0 ng BBP/g. Diisononyl phthalate (DINP) was detected in one sample at 76 ng/g. Average DEHP level in ten samples was 4% of that in 1999. The contents of other phthalates were also reduced. DBP was not detected in any sample. Recovery of deuterated isomers added as surrogates was 27.9% for DNP-d4, and 40.6 to 101.5% for the other phthalates.     

Development of frequency stabilizing scheme for integrating wind power generation into an isolated grid

Integration of wind power generation into small islands has been one of the demonstration projects in Okinawa Prefecture. Since such integration could degrade power quality including frequency in an island grid, a frequency stabilizing system using flywheels has been installed into a small island. In order to establish a proper frequency stabilizing scheme for the small island, an accurate model of a diesel generator including governor is vital. Therefore, the model was developed based on the measured values of generator dump tests. A new frequency stabilizing scheme was also developed through time‐domain simulation of the island grid model, which consists of the above‐mentioned diesel generator model and an equivalent load change representing wind power variation. The proper parameters of the scheme were derived considering role sharing between the diesel generators and the flywheels. The developed stabilizing scheme was applied to the flywheels in the island grid and revealed excellent performance in mitigating frequency variation. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 180(1): 24–35, 2012; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.21277     

Effect of Carrier Frequency and Circuit Resistance on Iron Loss of Non‐Oriented Electrical Steel Sheet under Single‐Phase Full‐Bridge PWM Inverter Excitation

Because of the development of power electronics technology, pulse width modulation (PWM) inverters are now being used to drive motors in order to achieve precise and energy‐efficient control. Precise estimation of the increase in iron loss due to the high harmonic components of flux, including the carrier frequency, is important in the design of motors excited by a PWM inverter. We measured the iron losses of non‐oriented electrical steel sheets that were excited using a single‐phase full‐bridge PWM inverter, and examined the influence of the carrier frequency and circuit resistance on the iron loss. We showed that the iron loss increased because of the generation of minor loops when the circuit resistance was high. Therefore, the circuit resistance should be decreased in an actual motor system.     

Electrode structure analysis and surface characterization for lithium-ion cells simulated low-Earth-orbit satellite operation: II: Electrode surface characterization

As a sequence work to investigate the performance-degradation mechanism of an aged commercial laminated lithium-ion cell experiencing 4350-cycle charge–discharge in a simulated low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite operation, we performed the surface characterization of LiCoO₂ cathode and graphite anode by Fourier transform infrared-Attenuated total reflection (FTIR-ATR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis in this work. Overall, the graphite anode had a larger change in surface chemistry than that of the LiCoO₂ cathode. Except the common surface components, we detected Co metal at the aged graphite surface in the first time. This Co metal deposition was believed to originate from Co²⁺ dissolution from LiCoO₂ cathode during prolonged cycling, and detrimental to structure stability of LiCoO₂ cathode which was a main cause of cell capacity loss. The amount of surface-film component was also estimated by FTIR analysis. Though the total amount of surface film increased, the organic (inorganic) surface film decreased (increased) with prolonged cycling.