Thermophysical properties of (U,Y)O2

We prepared polycrystalline pellets of (U,Y)O₂, containing YO_1.5 up to 11 mol.%. We performed indentation tests on the pellets, and evaluated the Young’s modulus and hardness. We measured the heat capacity and the thermal diffusivity, and evaluated the thermal conductivity. We succeeded in evaluating the effect of Y content on the thermophysical properties of (U,Y)O₂. We revealed that the Young’s modulus, hardness, and thermal conductivity of (U,Y)O₂ decreased with increasing the Y content.     

Normal Spectral Emissivity Measurement of Molten Cu–Co Alloy Using an Electromagnetic Levitator Superimposed with a Static Magnetic Field

The normal spectral emissivity of molten Cu–Co alloy with different compositions was measured in the wavelength range of 780 nm to 920 nm and in the temperature range of 1430 K to 1770 K including the undercooled condition by an electromagnetic levitator superimposed with a static magnetic field. The emissivity was determined as the ratio of the radiance from a levitated molten Cu–Co droplet measured by a spectrometer to the radiance from a blackbody calculated by Planck’s law at a given temperature, where a static magnetic field of 2.5 T to 4.5 T was applied to the levitated droplet to suppress the surface oscillation and translational motion of the sample. We found little temperature dependence of the normal spectral emissivity of molten Cu–Co alloy. Concerning the composition dependence, the emissivity decreased markedly above 80 at%Cu and reached that of pure Cu, although its dependence was low between 20 at%Cu and 80 at%Cu. In addition, this composition dependence of the emissivity of molten Cu–Co alloy can be explained well by the Drude free-electron model.     

EFFECTS OF OPERATIONAL CONDITIONS ON DRYING CHARACTERISTICS IN CLOSED SUPERHEATED STEAM DRYING

The effects of operational conditions on the drying performance in closed superheated steam drying were examined theoretically and experimentally. The vapor generated from the sample was circulated in the drying chamber. In the theoretical analysis, the replacement of air with vapor in drying chamber and the convective vapor transfer in sample were considered. At the start of drying, the drying chamber was filled with air. As the drying proceeded, the air was replaced with the vapor generated from sample. The calculated results explained the characteristics of experimental data. The pore diameter of sample had little effect on the drying characteristics. During the internal evaporation period, the evaporation occurred in the narrow zone, which moved from the surface to the bottom of sample. The convective vapor transfer in sample had a significant influence on the drying performance. The excess increments in temperature and velocity of drying gas hardly contributed to shortening the drying time.     

Numerical calculations of the effect of moisture content and moisture flow on ionic multi-species diffusion in the pore solution of porous materials

A method to analyse and calculate concentration profiles of different types of ions in the pore solution of porous materials such as concrete subjected to external wetting and drying is described. The equations in use have a solid theoretical meaning and are derived from a porous media technique, which is a special branch of the more general mixture theory. The effect of chemical action is ignored, making the presented model suitable to be implemented into codes dealing solely with chemical equilibrium.     

Numerical analysis of variability in ultrasound propagation properties induced by trabecular microstructure in cancellous bone

The manner by which the trabecular microstructure affects the propagation of ultrasound waves through cancellous bone is numerically investigated by finite difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation. Sixteen 3-D numerical models of 6.45times6.45times6.45 mm with a voxel size of 64.5 mum are reconstructed using a 3-D microcomputed tomographic (muCT) image taken from a bovine cancellous bone specimen of approximately 20times20times9 mm. All cancellous bone models have an oriented trabecular structure, and their trabecular elements are gradually eroded to increase the porosity using an image processing technique. Three erosion procedures are presented to realize various changes in the trabecular microstructure with increasing porosity. FDTD simulations of the ultrasound pulse waves propagating through the cancellous bone models at each eroded step are performed in 2 cases of the propagations parallel and perpendicular to the major trabecular orientation. The propagation properties of the wave amplitudes and propagation speeds are derived as a function of the porosity, and their variability due to the trabecular microstructure is revealed. To elucidate an effect of the microstructure, the mean intercept length (MIL), which is a microstructural parameter, is introduced, and the correlations of the propagation properties with the MILs of the trabecular elements and pore spaces are investigated.     

Growth and differentiation potentials in confluent state of culture of human skeletal muscle myoblasts

The transitional behaviors of myoblasts toward differentiation were investigated in the cultures at the low and high seeding densities (respectively, X₀ = 1.0 × 10³ and 2.0 × 10⁵ cells/cm²). In the culture at the low seeding density, an increase in confluence degree accompanied a decrease in growth potential (R_p), being R_p = 0.85 and 0.11 at t = 48 and 672 h, respectively. Myoblasts seeded at the high density resulted in the immediate cessation of growth with keeping the low range of R_p = 0.02–0.09 throughout the culture. The reduction of R_p led to the generation of three subpopulations of cells in proliferative, quiescent and differentiated states. Close cell contacts in the confluent state of high seeding culture induced cell quiescence to a higher extent with suppressing differentiation.     

Fundamental Behavior of Direct-Coupled Submicrosecond Pulse Energization in Electrostatic Precipitators

The fundamental characteristics of the direct-coupled pulse energization in electrostatic precipitators (EP's) are investigated in a test rig comprised of a coal pulverizing facility, a furnace, a gas cooling system, and an EP. The EP consisted of a corona electrode with barbed wires and a collection electrode with 300-mm duct spacing. This simulates the type of EP normally used in a coal-fired power station. The pulse-energized collection field shows a very high collection performance of more than 99 percent collection efficiency and the performance enhancement compared to the conventional dc energization, causing very severe back corona, becomes as large as H = 2.50.H is the enhancement factor in terms of the Deutsch migration velocity in the case of the very high resistivity dust of rd = 2 x 1013 ?cm at the gas temperature of Tg = 150°C. Even at the lower level of the dust resistivity at Tg = 110°C, where no back corona occurs in the dc-energized collection field, the performance enhancement is as large as H = 1.21. The mechanism of such great performance enhancement is likely to be the result of the very uniform and very intense formation of corona plasmas on the wires as a result of the very fast rise in the pulse voltage applied and a special sawtooth waveform of the operating voltage between the corona and collection electrodes.     

Simultaneous three-dimensional step-height measurement and high-resolution tomographic imaging with a spectral interferometric microscope

A noncontact, nonmechanical scanning, wide-field spectral interference microscope is developed for simultaneous measurement of three-dimensional step-height of discontinuous objects and tomographic imaging. A superluminescent diode (SLD) is used as a broadband light source and a liquid-crystal Fabry-Perot interferometer (LC-FPI) as a frequency-scanning device. By means of changing the injection current to the SLD, the spectral profile of the SLD is equalized, and a constant light input to the interferometer is achieved over the entire frequency-scan range. The Fourier-transform technique is used to determine both the amplitude and the phase of spectral fringe signals. Three-dimensional height distribution of a discontinuous object is obtained from the phase information, whereas optically sectioned images of the object are obtained either from the amplitude information alone or from the combination of both the amplitude and phase information. Experimental results with submicrometer resolution are presented for both step-height measurement and tomographic sectioning.     

Hairpin-based state machine and conformational addressing: Design and experiment

In this paper, we propose a new architecture for a multi-state DNA machine whose conformation of repeated hairpin structures changes sequentially in response to input oligomers. As an application of the machine, we also propose molecular memory in which the machine is used as a memory unit. Addressing in the memory is realized through state transitions of the machine. We then describe a method for designing DNA sequences of the machine, which exhaustively checks conformational changes of the machine by dividing its secondary structure into hairpin units. The method is based on the minimum free energy of the structure, the structure transition paths, and the total frequency of optimal and suboptimal structures. DNA sequences designed by the method were tested in a chemical experiment in which a machine consisting of two hairpins was actually constructed. As a result, we verified that the multi-state DNA machine realized the expected changes in its secondary structure.     

PID landing orbit motion controller for an indoor blimp robot

Blimp robots are attractive as indoor flying robots because they can float in the air, land safely with low energy, and stay in motion for a long time compared with other flying robots. However, controlling blimp robots is difficult because they have nonlinear characteristics, are influenced by air streams, and can easily be influenced by inertia. Therefore, a robust and adaptive control system is needed for blimp robots. The applied research that has studied the features of indoor flying robots in recent years has prospered. Operating an indoor blimp robot for a long time is difficult because the payload is small, multiple batteries cannot be stacked, and the design of a thruster that gives freedom to the entire blimp robot is difficult. Therefore, an autonomous charge that allows operation for a long time is needed. We have developed a method of landing with orbital control of the charge point that gives autonomy to a blimp robot. The possibility of landing with orbital control is shown. This work was presented in part at the 10th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, February 4–6, 2005 An erratum to this article is available at .