Analysis and design of synchronous permanent-magnet planar motors

The force equation of a synchronous permanent-magnet planar motor (SPMPM) was investigated. The flux density distribution of a two-dimensional (2-D) magnet array for a SPMPM was obtained by solving the equations of the scalar magnetic potential. The expressions of the force and back-EMF constant were derived and examined. Using these expressions, the conditions for normal operation of the SPMPM were found and the optimal design was determined in order to maximize the force of the SPMPM.     

Comparison of magnetic resonance volume flow rates, angiography, and carotid Dopplers. Preliminary results

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We compared the results of conventional angiography, carotid Doppler, and magnetic resonance angiography volume flow rates to determine the clinical utility of volume flow rate assessment of blood flow to the anterior circulation in patients with carotid occlusive disease. METHODS: From 11 symptomatic patients, a total of 22 extracranial carotid arteries were studied with all three techniques. The studies were independently read, and regression analysis was used to compare the measurements. RESULTS: Carotid Doppler measurements of the distal extracranial carotid arteries were proportional to the inverse of the extracranial carotid volume flow rate (r = .53, R2 = 29%, P < .01), volume flow rates were proportional to the inverse of measured percent stenosis on angiography (r = .84, R2 = 71%, P < .01), and Dopplers were proportional to angiography (r = .94, R2 = 90%, P < .01). Symptomatic Doppler systolic velocity was significantly higher (P < .002), symptomatic measured stenosis was significantly higher (P < .002), and symptomatic volume flow rate was significantly lower (P < .01) than their respective asymptomatic-side values. These preliminary observations, however, may well change once a large data set, especially one in which more patients with high-grade carotid stenosis are included, is studied. CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of carotid volume flow rates by magnetic resonance angiography quantifies flow reduction secondary to atherosclerotic occlusive disease. The easily obtained flow data add both documentation of arterial flow characteristics related to internal carotid stenosis and information regarding the adequacy of collateral pathways.     

Situational influences on gender differences in agency and communion.

Gender differences were examined in the context of situational effects. Participants monitored interpersonal behavior for 20 days, using an event-sampling strategy. The monitored behaviors reflected dominance and submissiveness (components of agency) and agreeableness and quarrelsomeness (components of communion). The situations reflected differences in the status of work roles: interactions with boss, co-worker, and supervisee. Status influenced agency. Individuals were most agentic when with a supervisee and least agentic when with a boss. Gender did not influence agency but did influence communal behaviors. Women were more communal regardless of social role status; women were especially communal with other women, compared with men with men. Findings about agency supported a social role theory interpretation of gender differences. Results for communion were consistent with accounts of the influence of sex segregation on interpersonal relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Thermomechanical fatigue—damage mechanisms and mechanism-based life prediction methods

An existing extensive database on the isothermal and thermomechanical fatigue behaviour of high-temperature titanium alloy EVII 834 and dispersoid-strengthened aluminum alloy X8019 in SiC particle-reinforced as well as unreinv conditions was used to evaluate both the adaptability of fracture mechanics approaches to TMF and the resulting predictive capabilities of determining material life by crack propagation consideration. Selection of the correct microstructural concepts was emphasised and these concepts were, then adjusted by using data from independent experiments in order to avoid any sort of fitting. It is shown that the cyclic /-integral (δJ_eff concept) is suitable to predict the cyclic lifetime for conditions where the total crack propagation rate is approximately identical to pure fatigue crack growth velocity. In the case that crack propagation is strongly affected by creep, the creep-fatigue damage parameter δ_CF introduced by Riedel can be successfully applied. If environmental effects are very pronounced, the accelerating influence of corrosion on fatigue crack propagation can no longer implicitly be taken into account in the fatigue crack growth law. Instead, a linear combination of the crack growth rate contributions from plain fatigue (determined in vacuum) and from environmental attack is assumed and found to yield a satisfactory prediction, if the relevant corrosion process is taken into account.     

A One‐Kilobit PQR‐CMOS Smart Pixel Array

The photonic quantum ring (PQR) laser is a three dimensional whispering gallery (WG) mode laser and has anomalous quantum wire properties, such as microampere to nanoampere range threshold currents and √T‐dependent thermal red shifts. We observed uniform bottom emissions from a 1‐kb smart pixel chip of a 32×32 InGaAs PQR laser array flip‐chip bonded to a 0.35 µm CMOS‐based PQR laser driver. The PQR‐CMOS smart pixel array, now operating at 30 MHz, will be improved to the GHz frequency range through device and circuit optimization.     

Estimation of Aeroelastic Parameters of Bridge Decks Using Neural Networks

A new method of estimating flutter derivatives using artificial neural networks is proposed. Unlike other computational fluid dynamics based numerical analyses, the proposed method estimates flutter derivatives utilizing previously measured experimental data. One of the advantages of the neural networks approach is that they can approximate a function of many dimensions. An efficient method has been developed to quantify the geometry of deck sections for neural network input. The output of the neural network is flutter derivatives. The flutter derivatives estimation network, which has been trained by the proposed methodology, is tested both for training sets and novel testing sets. The network shows reasonable performance for the novel sets, as well as outstanding performance for the training sets. Two variations of the proposed network are also presented, along with their estimation capability. The paper shows the potential of applying neural networks to wind force approximations.