Effect of overhead ground wires on reduction of failure rates of surge arresters on power distribution lines

Surge arresters are sometimes damaged by lightning strokes with high energy, in spite of installation of conventional protection methods. In order to reduce the number of failures of surge arresters, we should consider another protection method, such as an increase in the withstand capability of surge arresters and installation of additional overhead ground wires. However, quantitative comparison of these methods for preventing damage to surge arresters against lightning strokes with high energy has never been performed. This paper describes the effects of additional overhead ground wires for preventing damage to surge arresters. The main results are: (1) The failure rate of surge arresters on a distribution line with two overhead ground wires is about one third of that with an overhead ground wire. (2) Installation of a second overhead ground wire six to eight spans from the end of a line reduces the failure rate of a surge arrester at the end as effectively as increasing the withstand capability by a factor of two. © 1998 Scripta Technica. Electr Eng Jpn, 122(2): 12–20, 1998     

System preservation of a cooperative manipulator system

This paper proposes a method of maintaining the stability of robotic manipulators with network connection which are doing cooperative tasks. Such robotic manipulator systems have many possibilities, but they sometimes fall into unstable states due to double connection, that is, mechanical and informational connection. To avoid such unstable oscillations, the proposed method utilizes a kind of torque limiter and a notch filter. © 1997 Scripta Technica, Inc Electr Eng Jpn, 121(2): 47–53, 1997     

Sensitive analyses of neutral N-glycans using anion-doped liquid matrix G3CA by negative-ion matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

Negative-ion fragmentation of N-glycans has been proven to be more informative than that of positive-ion. In particular, it defines structural features such as the specific composition of the two antennae and the location of fucose. However, negative-ion formation of neutral N-glycans by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) remains a challenging task, and the detection limit of N-glycans in negative-ion mode is merely at the subpicomole level. Thus, practical applications are limited. In this study, combinations of five liquid matrices and nine anions were used to ionize N-glycans as anionic adducts, and their performances for sensitive analyses were evaluated. The best results were obtained with anion-doped liquid matrix G(3)CA, which consists of p-coumaric acid and 1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidine; the detection limits of anion adducted N-glycans were 1 fmol/well for NO(3)(-), and 100 amol/well for BF(4)(-). Negative-ion MS(2) spectra of 1 fmol N-glycans were successfully acquired with a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio and were quite useful for MS-based structural determination. The anion-doped G(3)CA matrix opens the way for sensitive and rapid analysis of neutral N-glycans in negative-ion MALDI at a low femtomole level.     

Andreev Current and Subgap Conductance of Spin-Valve SFF Structures

The Andreev current and the subgap conductance in a superconductor/insulator/ferromagnet (SIF) structure in the presence of a small spin-splitting field show novel interesting features (Ozaeta et al. in Phys. Rev. B 86:060509(R), 2012). For example, the Andreev current at zero temperature can be enhanced by a spin-splitting field h, smaller than the superconducting gap Δ, as has been recently reported by the authors. Also at finite temperatures, the Andreev current has a peak for values of the spin-splitting field close to the superconducting gap, h≈Δ. Finally, the differential subgap conductance at low temperatures shows a peak at the bias voltage eV=h. In this paper, we investigate the Andreev current and the subgap conductance in SFF structures with arbitrary direction of magnetization of the F layers. We show that all the aforementioned features occur now at the value of the “effective field”, which is the field acting on the Cooper pairs in the multi-domain ferromagnetic region, averaged over the decay length of the superconducting condensate into a ferromagnet. We also briefly discuss the heat transport and electron cooling in the considered structures.     

Controlling data quality and reproducibility of a high-sensitivity immunoassay using isotachophoresis in a microchip

This report describes a method of controlling the sensitivity and reproducibility of a microchip-based immunoassay by using isotachophoresis to preconcentrate the antigen and antibody prior to binding. Gel electrophoresis separation is coupled to the preconcentration step to separate the immunocomplex products formed. The system employs a quartz-based LabChip that automates the metering, preconcentration, reaction, separation, and detection. The system also uses a handoff mechanism that switches the immunocomplex from the stacking mode to the separation mode. We show that the handoff timing affects the data quality and repeatability of the electropherograms, and we demonstrate an automatic handoff mechanism to precisely control the signal intensity and separation of peaks of interest. In so doing, the automatic handoff mechanism also improves the reproducibility of the assay. When applied to the homogeneous liquid-phase detection of alpha-fetoprotein, a common tumor marker, the system shows a greater than 200-fold stacking of specific analytes of interest.     

A noninvasive method for assessing interior skin damage caused by chronological aging and photoaging based on near-infrared diffuse reflection spectroscopy

This paper reports a noninvasive method for evaluating skin aging based on near-infrared diffuse reflectance (NIR-DR) spectroscopy. Skin aging can be attributed to photoaging and chronological aging. Both types of aging are heavily involved in the skin changes that occur as we get older, for example, wrinkles or sagging skin. Our goal is to develop a noninvasive way to assess changes taking place inside the skin for each type of aging by using NIR-DR spectroscopy. Interior skin damages caused by photoaging and chronological aging were studied for an ultraviolet-B (UVB)-irradiated hairless mouse group (24 mice) and a non-irradiated group (29 mice) by using NIR-DR spectroscopy and principal component analysis (PCA). The results suggested the possibility of monitoring the contribution and the quantitative assessment of both types of aging taking place inside the skin by using the 5990-5490 cm(-1) and 5000-4480 cm(-1) regions of NIR-DR spectra. For the photoaging, structural changes in proteins are most clearly reflected by a shift of the band near 4880 cm(-1) due to a combination of amide A and amide II modes. On the other hand, the chronological aging is associated with a change in collagen quantity as is seen in the intensity changes in NIR bands assigned to collagen. NIR-DR spectroscopy and PCA may allow us to noninvasively assess the degree of photoaging and chronological aging as the degeneration of elasticity in collagen protein and the degradation of protein quantity, respectively.     

Non‐Enzymatic Geometry‐Selective Acylation of Tri‐ and Tetrasubstituted α,α′‐Alkenediols

A highly geometry‐selective organocatalytic acylation of tri‐ and tetra‐substituted 2‐alkylidene‐1,3‐propanediols has been developed. The highly E‐selective acylation of various tetrasubstituted 2‐alkylidene‐1,3‐propanediols was achieved in 96 to >99% selectivity for the first time by a non‐enzymatic protocol.     

Garlic extract and its selected organosulphur constituents promote ileal immune responses ex vivo

The effects of garlic extract and three organosulphur compounds of garlic on intestinal immune responses in mice were investigated. Peyer’s patch (PP) cells were isolated from mice orally administered with garlic extracts or one of three organosulphur compounds (alliin, allicin, diallyl disulphide (DADS)). PP cells isolated from mice that had been orally injected with ethanol extract significantly produced interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-4. IL-2 production in PP cells was significantly reduced by hot-water and ethanol extracts from garlic. PP cells from mice administered with two organosulphur compounds, alliin or DADS (5 mg/kg/day), could produce IL-2, IFN-γ and IL-4, whereas allicin showed moderate activity. The enhancement activity of IL-2 and IFN-γ productions in PP cells by DADS was higher than those obtained by administration of alliin or allicin. Comprehensive analyses of genetic profiles in PP tissue from mice administered with ethanolic extracts, allicin or alliin revealed that oral administration of samples increased 68–144 genes and decreased 50–52 genes by ?1.8-fold. Analyses of clustering profiles of microarrays indicated that ethanol extract and alliin upregulated the expression of IFN-γ. These data showed that garlic and its organosulphur compounds stimulate de novo IFN-γ biosynthesis in PP cells, thereby promoting ileal immune responses.     

Measurement of the Longitudinal Mechanical Properties of High-performance Fibres

Measurement of the longitudinal-compression modulus for aramid and carbon fibres is introduced. The ‘micro-composite method’ is used to measure the stress–strain property of the fibres in longitudinal compression. The micro-composite is a uniaxial fibre and epoxy-resin composite of cylindrical shape, 5 mm in length and 1 mm in diameter. This small size realizes the high-volume fraction of the fibre, around 0.85, and causes compact packing of the fibres in the matrix. This compact packing may prevent buckling of the fibres during compression. The stress–strain curve in longitudinal compression is superimposed on the tensile stress–strain curve obtained by the extension of a single fibre. The two curves obtained by these very different methods are smoothly connected, and the full stress–strain curve covering the compression and extension is introduced for high-performance fibres such as aramid fibres and carbon fibres.     

Monodisperse microspheres of copolymers of glycidyl methacrylate and its derivatives as materials for biomedical application

Monodisperse microspheres of copolymers of glycidyl methacrylate were prepared by dispersion polymerization in organic media. The microsphere diameter could be adjusted in the range from 0$md$5 μm to 5μm by changing the monomer concentration, the type of dispersion medium and the content of the comonomers. Terpolymers of glycidyl methacrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and tri(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate were analysed by thermal decomposition gas chromatography and the compositions of the polymers agreed well with those of the monomer mixtures. The epoxide of the polymer microspheres was hydrolysed to α,β-diol with dilute sulphuric acid without side reactions except the slight formation of sulphate. It was confirmed by the ¹³CFT-NMR spectrum that the main structure of the hydrolysate was that of poly(glyceryl methacrylate). In the reaction of the epoxide with ammonia, the predominant production of tertiary amine was presumed by the relationship between the conversion of the epoxide and the nitrogen content of the reaction product. The amination of the epoxide with secondary amines resulted in the quantitative formation of the corresponding tertiary amines.