Estimation of compound classes in coal hydrogenation liquids by thin-layer chromatography

Compound classes in coal liquids were investigated by thin-layer chromatography coupled with a flame ionization detector (t.l.c.-f.i.d.). Individual t.l.c. peaks for coal liquids were identified as paraffins, aromatics, polar compounds and more strongly polar compounds or asphaltenes in order of increasing R_f values by comparison with specific compounds separated previously by conventional liquid chromatography. Concentrations of compound classes for a series of samples obtained by varying the hydrogenation time were estimated and good agreement was found with the results obtained by the USBM-API 60 liquid chromatography procedure. By using the t.l.c.-f.i.d. method, the relation of distribution of compound classes to the reaction conditions of coal hydrogenation could be derived quantitatively with relative ease.     

Reliability of signals from a chronically implanted, silicon-based electrode array in non-human primate primary motor cortex.

Multiple-electrode arrays are valuable both as a research tool and as a sensor for neuromotor prosthetic devices, which could potentially restore voluntary motion and functional independence to paralyzed humans. Long-term array reliability is an important requirement for these applications. Here, we demonstrate the reliability of a regular array of 100 microelectrodes to obtain neural recordings from primary motor cortex (MI) of monkeys for at least three months and up to 1.5 years. We implanted Bionic (Cyberkinetics, Inc., Foxboro, MA) silicon probe arrays in MI of three Macaque monkeys. Neural signals were recorded during performance of an eight-direction, push-button task. Recording reliability was evaluated for 18, 35, or 51 sessions distributed over 83, 179, and 569 days after implantation, respectively, using qualitative and quantitative measures. A four-point signal quality scale was defined based on the waveform amplitude relative to noise. A single observer applied this scale to score signal quality for each electrode. A mean of 120 (+/- 17.6 SD), 146 (+/- 7.3), and 119 (+/- 16.9) neural-like waveforms were observed from 65-85 electrodes across subjects for all recording sessions of which over 80% were of high quality. Quantitative measures demonstrated that waveforms had signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) up to 20 with maximum peak-to-peak amplitude of over 1200 microv with a mean SNR of 4.8 for signals ranked as high quality. Mean signal quality did not change over the duration of the evaluation period (slope 0.001, 0.0068 and 0.03; NS). By contrast, neural waveform shape varied between, but not within days in all animals, suggesting a shifting population of recorded neurons over time. Arm-movement related modulation was common and 66% of all recorded neurons were tuned to reach direction. The ability for the array to record neural signals from parietal cortex was also established. These results demonstrate that neural recordings that can provide movement related signals for neural prostheses, as well as for fundamental research applications, can be reliably obtained for long time periods using a monolithic microelectrode array in primate MI and potentially from other cortical areas as well.     

Magnetic field analysis of a 70‐MW‐class superconducting generator by the 3D finite element method

The three‐dimensional magnetic field and eddy current distribution of the 70‐MW‐class superconducting generator was calculated by a finite element method. The condition for the exciting armature coil was calculated by the jω‐method. In the magnetic flux distribution of the armature winding bore, the value obtained by analysis had good agreement with the measurement. An analysis that let the rotor move by the synchronizing speed was also done. The armature voltage for the nonload condition and the armature current for the three‐phase short‐circuit condition obtained by calculations had good agreement with the measurements. The validity of the analytical model for three‐dimensional magnetic field analysis of superconducting generators was confirmed from these results. In addition, the synchronous reactances were calculated using these results with eddy current in the facing. It was found that the facing had the effect of decreasing synchronous reactance by about 5%. © 2000 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 134(2): 53–60, 2001     

Effects of Smart Charging of Multiple Electric Vehicles in Reducing Power Generation Fuel Cost

The high penetration of variable sources of renewable power generation will lead to operational difficulties in supply/demand balancing in the entire power system. The mass deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) and plug‐in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) will also cause significant changes in electricity demand. Therefore, controlling and managing the charging time of EVs/PHEVs are effective approaches that are imperative for improving balancing in power system operation. We assumed travel patterns for EVs in a model of the future Tokyo power system and analyzed the power system loads, including the charging load of the EVs, under several charging control scenarios. We verified that charging time controls are substantially effective for reducing the fuel costs in the power system. Further, we found that load leveling under a multicar charging management scenario gave the best results in terms of the fuel costs in all cases.     

Optimum watermark detection of ultrasonic echo medical images

To prevent unauthorized access to a person's medical images, it is widely acknowledged that the security features of confidentiality, availability and integrity should be in place. This paper proposes the watermarking of ultrasonic echo images together with optimal watermark detection, in which pseudorandom noise is added to the images for integrity. The optimum watermark detection is the integration of the generalized Gaussian distribution (ρ‐GGD) and the Cauchy distribution. The results show that the proposed method gives good detection performance. The proposed method not merely achieves optimum detection using the Rao test but also leads to the highest detection probability with JPEG2000 compression. Compared with other detection methods, our proposed method exhibits better watermark detection performance even when the watermark‐to‐document ratio (WDR) is −50 dB. © 2014 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

考虑土、上部结构和桥台相互作用的桥台抗震性能研究

 在以往的桥梁设计中并不考虑基础提离和地基土屈服等土与桥台相互作用对桥台地震反应的影响。因此,为了研究桥台在地震中的抗震性能,采用Newmark时程分析方法对考虑土、上部结构和桥台相互作用的由扩展基础支撑的桥台进行分析。采用离散的质点–弹簧模型对土、上部结构和桥台系统进行建模。利用非线性模型,模拟上部结构和桥台的碰撞反应、桥台背部填土及地基土的弹塑性反应,并采用Winkler地基梁模型模拟地基土与桥台基础的相互作用。分析结果表明,桥台基础的提离作用可以减弱桥梁上部结构及桥台在强烈地震中的反应,减小桥台墙身底部在强震作用下发生的塑性变形,起到一定的减震隔震效果。同时,桥台底部土的屈服减小了传递到桥台底部塑性铰处的弯矩,进一步增强了桥台基础提离的效果。然而,由地基土屈服引起的永久性沉降也造成桥台基础的倾斜。因此,在桥梁的抗震设计中,必须考虑桥台基础的提离和地基土的屈服等土与结构相互作用对桥台抗震性能的影响。     

Texture and Formation Mechanism of Fibrous Calcium Hydroxyapatite Particles Prepared by Decomposition of Calcium–EDTA Chelates

The texture of fibrous calcium hydroxyapatite (Ca₁₀-(PO₄)₆(OH)₂, CaHAP) particles that were prepared by the decomposition of calcium–ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (calcium–EDTA) chelates at 100°C under various pH conditions (pH values of 5–10) was investigated by various means. Well-crystallized fibrous CaHAPs were produced at pH .6. The stoichiometry of the CaHAPs with a chemical formula of Ca_{10− x} (HPO₄) _x (PO₄)_{6− x} (OH)_{2− x} (H₂O) _x was improved by increasing the decomposition pH. All the CaHAPs had unit-cell dimensions of a = 0.9436 ± 0.0003 nm and c = 0.6881 ± 0.0006 nm, exhibiting an enlarged a value. The finding of mesoporosity of CaHAPs by nitrogen gas (N₂) adsorption measurement indicated that the CaHAPs were produced by an agglomeration of primary particles. Furthermore, the nonstoichiometric CaHAPs that formed at pH 6 developed ultramicropores, which were accessible to water (H₂O) molecules but not to N₂ molecules, by the elimination of H₂O molecules that were adsorbed in interstices of primary particles in less-orderly crystallized CaHAPs and/or by dehydration of HPO₄²⁻ groups. These findings by gas adsorption techniques could give evidence for the agglomeration mechanism to attain a polycrystalline CaHAP, although they exhibited good crystallinity with large size.     

Study of melting and crystallization behavior of polyacrylonitrile using ultrafast differential scanning calorimetry

The thermal behavior of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) has been investigated using X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and ultrafast DSC. In conventional DSC, it is difficult to prevent the concurrent occurrence of the exothermic reactions of PAN with melting. However, in the ultrafast DSC curve, the exothermic peak due to these reactions disappears over the temperature range 0–400 °C at heating rates above 250 °C s⁻¹. Alternatively, the glass transition and the melting of PAN are observed over the temperature range 109–129 °C and 335–362 °C, respectively. Moreover, upon cooling from the molten state at a rate of −7500 °C s⁻¹, PAN crystallization is observed at 204 °C. These findings were observed repeatedly during heating and cooling measurements. From the extrapolation analysis, the zero-entropy-production melting temperature of PAN is found to lie in the temperature range 320–350 °C. Finally, the equilibrium melting temperature of PAN is estimated to be ca. 465 °C.     

定向反射管束对辐照均匀性的影响

为使多孔陶瓷板燃气辐射器加热物体能量定向集中，减少向周围环境散失的热量，在辐射器的前方，设计了定向反射管束，并进行了被加热物体表面辐照度分布特性数值计算研究。利用蒙特卡罗法中的辐射分配因子计算并分析了相关参数，例如管束布置(顺排、叉排及节距)、加热距离、管间距及管长与半径比等对被加热物体表面辐照度均匀性的影响。通过计算得出定向反射管间距是影响均匀加热面积大小的主要因素，管束布置方式对辐照度均匀性影响较小；随管长与半径比增加，物体表面辐照度均匀时，对应的加热距离增加。计算结果为实际装置的优化设计提供了理论依据。