COM motion estimation of a biped robot based on kinodynamics and torque equilibrium

A novel technique to estimate motion of the center of mass (COM) for a biped robot is proposed. A Kalman filter is synthesized where the time evolution of COM is predicted from the external force and corrected based on kinematic estimation and torque equilibrium. They complementarily work to compensate the initial estimation offset, the error accumulation, and errors in modeled mass properties. It makes use of the authors’ previous method to estimate the translational and rotational motion of the base body from inertial information and joint angle measurements. The information about torque equilibrium helps to reduce an uncertainty of the height of COM and to improve the estimation accuracy of it by utilizing an interference of the horizontal and vertical motion of COM. The parameters are tuned based on error analyses in mass properties and sensor signals. A comparative study showed a better performance of the proposed method than other methods through dynamics simulations.     

Studies on syntheses and permeabilities of special polymer membranes. X. Effects of conditions of membrane preparation on permeation characteristics of cellulose acetate membranes in separation of aqueous polymer solutions

The effects of casting solvents, dissolution temperature of casting solution, and pH and temperature of gelation solution, etc. on the permeation characteristics of cellulose acetate membranes in the separation of polymers from their aqueous solutions were investigated, using aqueous solutions of poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(vinyl alcohol) as feed. The permeation characteristics were influenced significantly by the conditions of membrane preparation and of the permeation. It was found that a concentration polarization at the membrane surface occurred with poly(vinyl alcohol) molecules, but it was very small with poly(ethylene glycol). The above results were discussed in detail from points of view of structure of the resulting membranes and the interactions between the solvent, the solute in the feed and the cellulose acetate molecules.     

Studies on syntheses and permeabilities of special polymer membranes. III. Permeation of aqueous alcohol solutions and binary organic liquid mixtures through alkali bridged poly(vinyl alcohol) membranes

The preparation conditions of water insoluble poly(vinyl alcohol) membranes were investigated using three kinds of monovalent alkali metal compounds, namely, lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, and potassium hydroxide. The mechanism for the formation of water insoluble membranes is discussed. The permeabilities of pure alcohols were improved by adding ethylene glycol to the casting solutions and they depended upon the radii of alkali metal ions and the density of locations bridged with these ions. The permeation and separation characteristics of three different alcohol/water systems and three different alcohol/benzene systems through alkali bridged poly(vinyl alcohol) membranes were studied by changing the feed composition of the binary mixtures. In alcohol/water solutions, the depression of permeation depended upon the compaction of membrane under pressure. The permeation rate of water/lower alcohol solution was faster than that of water/higher alcohol solution in all feed compositions. Separation of water/alcohol at given water contents increased with an increase in the molecular length of the alcohols. In the three different alcohol/benzene systems, the permeation rates increased with an increase in the alcohol fraction in feed, and the permeation rate of benzene/lower alcohol mixture was faster than that of benzene/higher alcohol mixture in all feed compositions. Separation of benzene/alcohol mixtures at given benzene contents decreased with an increase in the molecular length of alcohols. These phenomena are discussed from the standpoint of the molecular size, the molecular shape, and the physicochemical natures of the permeating species and the polymer membrane.     

Electrical conductivity of chemically dehydrochlorinated poly(vinyl chloride) films doped with electron acceptors

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) films were effectively dehydrochlorinated by the reaction with aqueous sodium hydroxide solutions in the presence of tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) or tetrabutylphosphonium bromide (TBPB). The obtained black films were doped with iodine, ferric chloride, or boron trifluoride. By doping, the electric conductivity markedly increased up to the order of 10^?3 S cm^?1. The activation energy of the conduction was 0.36 eV. The effects of casting solvent, film thickness, and film drawing are described. The change in IR spectrum by doping was discussed in terms of the formation of positively charged polyenes due to electron transfer from the dehydrochlorinated PVC to the dopants.     

Studies on syntheses and permeabilities of special polymer membranes: 50. Transport of metal ions against their concentration gradient through water-insoluble poly(styrene sulphonic acid) membrane

Water-insoluble cation exchange membranes were prepared by heat treating membranes made of poly(styrene sulphonic acid) and poly(vinyl alcohol). Transport of metal ions through the above cation exchange membrane against their concentration gradient was investigated under various conditions. The transport in this system, where one side of the membrane in a diaphragm cell was acidic and the other alkaline, was influenced significantly by the initial H⁺ ion concentration on the acidic side. The selectivity of metal ions in diffusive transport depended on the size of their hydrated ions and that in transport against their concentration gradient was due to the affinity between the metal ions and the carrier fixed to the membrane.     

ITER tungsten divertor design development and qualification program

In November 2011, the ITER Council has endorsed the recommendation that a period of up to 2 years be set to develop a full-tungsten divertor design and accelerate technology qualification in view of a possible decision to start operation with a divertor having a full-tungsten plasma-facing surface. To ensure a solid foundation for such a decision, a full tungsten divertor design, together with a demonstration of the necessary high performance tungsten monoblock technology should be completed within the required timescale. The status of both the design and technology R&D activity is summarized in this paper.     

Purification of steryl esters from soybean oil deodorizer distillate

Soybean oil deodorizer distillate (SODD) contains steryl esters in addition to tocopherols and sterols. Tocopherols and sterols have been industrially purified from SODD but no purification process for steryl esters has been developed. SODD was efficiently separated to low b.p. substances (including tocopherols and sterols) and high b.p. substances (including 11.2 wt% DAG, 32.1 wt% TAG, and 45.4 wt% steryl esters) by molecular distillation. The high b.p. fraction is referred to as soybean oil deodorizer distillate steryl ester concentrate (SODDSEC). We attempted to purify steryl esters after a lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of acylglycerols in SODDSEC. Screening of industrially available lipases indicated that Candida rugosa lipase was most effective. Based on the study of several factors affecting hydrolysis, the reaction conditions were determined as follows: ratio of SODDSEC/water, 1∶1 (w/w); lipase amount, 15 U/g reaction mixture; temperature, 30°C. When SODDSEC was agitated for 24 h under these conditions, acylglycerols were almost completely hydrolyzed and the content of steryl esters did not change. However, study with a mixture of steryl oleate/trilinolein (1∶1, w/w) indicated that about 20% of constituent FA in steryl esters were exchanged with constituent FA in acylglycerols. Steryl esters in the oil layer obtained by the SODDSEC treatment with lipase were successfully purified by molecular distillation (purity, 97.3%; recovery, 87.7%).     

Production of MAG of CLA in a solvent-free system at low temperature with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Candida rugosa</Emphasis> lipase

We attempted to produce MAG of CLA through lipase-catalyzed esterification of a FFA mixture containing CLA (referred to as FFA-CLA) with glycerol. Screening of lipases showed that MAG-CLA was produced efficiently at 5°C with Penicillium camembertii, Rhizopus oryzae, and Candida rugosa lipases. Among them, C. rugosa lipase was selected because the lipase is widely used as a catalyst for oils and fats processing. The reaction was conducted with agitation of a 300-g mixture of FFA-CLA/glycerol (1∶5, mol/mol), a 200-U/g mixture of C. rugosa lipase, and 2% water. When the reaction was conducted at 30°C, the esterification scarcely proceeded, owing to inhibition of the reaction by glycerol. But the reaction at 5°C eliminated the inhibition and produced MAG efficiently: The degree of esterification reached 93.8% after 58 h, and MAG content in the reaction mixture was 88.4 wt%. To reduce the reaction time, the reactor was connected with a vacuum pump after 24 h, and the reaction was continued with dehydration at 5 mm Hg. The degree of esterification reached 94.7% after 24 h of dehydration (48 h in total), and MAG content increased to 93.0 wt%. Candida rugosa lipase acted a little more strongly on cis-9, trans-11 CLA than on trans-10,cis-12 CLA, but the contents of the two isomers in MAG obtained from a 48-h reaction were the same as the contents in FFA-CLA.     

Possible Biosynthetic Pathways for all <Emphasis Type="Italic">cis</Emphasis>-3,6,9,12,15,19,22,25,28-Hentriacontanonaene in Bacteria

A very long chain polyunsaturated hydrocarbon, hentriacontanonaene (C31:9), was detected in an eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)-producing marine bacterium, which was isolated from the mid-latitude seashore of Hokkaido, Japan, and was tentatively identified as mesophilic Shewanella sp. strain osh08 from 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The geometry and position of the double bonds in this compound were determined physicochemically to be all cis at positions 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 19, 22, 25, and 28. Although C31:9 was detected in all of the seven EPA- or/and docosahexaenoic acid-producing bacteria tested, an EPA-deficient mutant (strain IK-1Δ8) of one of these bacteria had no C31:9. Strain IK-1Δ8 had defects in the pfaD gene, one of the five pfa genes responsible for the biosynthesis of EPA. Although Escherichia coli DH5α does not produce EPA or DHA inherently, cells transformed with the pfa genes responsible for the biosynthesis of EPA and DHA produced EPA and DHA, respectively, but not C31:9. These results suggest that the Pfa protein complex is involved in the biosynthesis of C31:9 and that pfa genes must not be the only genes responsible for the formation of C31:9. In this report, we determined for the first time the molecular structure of the C31:9 and discuss the possible biosynthetic pathways of this compound.     

Purification of docosahexaenoic acid from tuna oil by a two-step enzymatic method: Hydrolysis and selective esterification

Purification of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was attempted by a two-step enzymatic method that consisted of hydrolysis of tuna oil and selective esterification of the resulting free fatty acids (FFA). When more than 60% of tuna oil was hydrolyzed with Pseudomonas sp. lipase (Lipase-AK), the DHA content in the FFA fraction coincided with its content in the original tuna oil. This lipase showed stronger activity on the DHA ester than on the eicosapentaenoic acid ester and was suitable for preparation of FFA rich in DHA. When a mixture of 2.5 g tuna oil, 2.5 g water, and 500 units (U) of Lipase-AK per 1 g of the reaction mixture was stirred at 40°C for 48 h, 83% of DHA in tuna oil was recovered in the FFA fraction at 79% hydrolysis. These fatty acids were named tuna-FFA-Ps. Selective esterification was then conducted at 30°C for 20 h by stirring a mixture of 4.0 g of tuna-FFA-Ps/lauryl alcohol (1:2, mol/mol), 1.0 g water, and 1,000 U of Rhizopus delemar lipase. As a result, the DHA content in the unesterified FFA fraction could be raised from 24 to 72 wt% in an 83% yield. To elevate the DHA content further, the FFA were extracted from the reaction mixture with n-hexane and esterified again under the same conditions. The DHA content was raised to 91 wt% in 88% yield by the repeated esterification. Because selective esterification of fatty acids with lauryl alcohol proceeded most efficiently in a mixture that contained 20% water, simultaneous reactions during the esterification were analyzed qualitatively. The fatty acid lauryl esters (L-FA) generated by the esterification were not hydrolyzed. In addition, L-FA were acidolyzed with linoleic acid, but not with DHA. These results suggest that lauryl DHA was generated only by esterification.