UHV shunt reactor for secondary arc extinction on multiphase reclosing

Secondary-arc suppression is necessary for successful fast, multiphase reclosing on UHV lines. Installation of a shunt reactor is one of the most effective methods of rapidly extinguishing the secondary arc. For multiphase reclosing on untransposed double-circuit UHV lines, a zero-sequence compensated balanced shunt reactor cannot suppress the secondary arc sufficiently. This is because of the imbalance in electrical couplings among phases. A zero-sequence compensated unbalanced shunt reactor is proposed to compensate for the imbalance in the electrostatic couplings. The effects of this reactor on suppressing the secondary arc can easily be analysed by the introduction of phase-to-phase compensation parameters. Such parameters can be used to decide on the optimum shunt reactor for secondary-arc extinction.     

Motion of an antiviral compound in a rhinovirus capsid under rotational symmetry boundary conditions

A molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of a complex of a rhinovirus protein shell referred to as a "capsid" and an anti-rhinovirus drug, WIN52084s, was performed under the rotational symmetry boundary conditions. For the simulation, the energy parameters of WIN52084s in all-atom approximations were determined by ab initio calculations using a 6-31G* basis set and the two-conformational two-stage restricted electrostatic potential fit method. The motion of WIN52084s and the capsid was focused on in the analysis of the trajectory of the simulation. The root mean square deviations of WIN52084s from the X-ray structure were decomposed to conformational, translational, and rotational components. The translation was further decomposed to radial, longitudinal, and lateral components. The conformation of WIN52084s was rigid, but moving in the pocket. The easiest path of motion for WlN52084s was on the longitudinal line, providing a track for the binding process required of the anti-rhinovirus drug to enter the pocket. The conformation of the pocket was also preserved in the simulation, although the position of the pocket in the capsid fluctuated in the lateral and radial directions.     

Digalactosyldiacylglycerol suppression of inhibition by sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol of alpha-glucosidase

Digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG) suppressed the inhibition by sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol (SQDG) of an alpha-glucosidase reaction. Suppressing was considered to be an apparent decrease in inhibitory activity of SQDG ascribed to direct interaction between SQDG and DGDG. This suppression was presumed to be caused by less access of SQDG to the enzyme because SQDG and DGDG formed mixed micelles.     

Theory of powdered metal formation in electrochemistry—morphological instability in galvanostatic crystal growth under diffusion control

Following the presentation of the theory of powder formation in steady state electrocrystallization, some equations based on the linear instability theory in non-steady state deposition under diffusion control were derived; the galvanostatic case was then analysed using the theoretical equations obtained here.As a result, the dependences of powder growth and particle size on various physical parameters, such as current density, bulk concentration and temperature, were made quantitatively clear. Furthermore, a reliable basis was given to the induction time of powder formation which had formerly been liable to amibiguous discussion.     

Polarization Switching in (100)/(001) Oriented Epitaxial Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 Thin Films

Thin films made of (100)/(001)-oriented Pb(Zr, Ti)O₃ (PZT) were deposited by liquid-delivery metal-organic chemical vapor deposition on Ir/MgAl₂O₄/SiO₂/Si(100) substrates. For comparison, PZT thin films were also deposited on Ir/MgO(100) substrates. The X-ray scan spectra for the (202) reflections revealed that the PZT films have four-fold symmetry. It indicates that the PZT films were epitaxially grown as a cube-on-cube structure on both substrates. The switchable polarization (Q_sw) of the PZT capacitors on the silicon substrate was only 23 C/cm² at 1.8 V; however, Q_sw of PZT capacitors on MgO was 99 C/cm². In the case of PZT films deposited on silicon, the volume fraction of (001)-oriented domains (which contribute to polarization switching) was 15.1% (calculated from an XRD pattern). This result is due to the lower Q_sw of PZT capacitors on silicon. By piezoresponse-force microscopy, switchable and unswitchable domains could be identified by imaging color contrast, namely, (001) and (100) domains, respectively. Consequently, domain distribution of the PZT film on a silicon substrate indicates that the (001) domain exists in the (100) domain matrix.     

Evaluation of method for simultaneous determination of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables by collaborative study

A collaborative study involving 8 laboratories was conducted to evaluate a method for the simultaneous determination of pesticide residues in 6 types of fruits and vegetables (spinach, tomato, apple, radish, cabbage and carrot). The method of analysis was the same as reported by Kakimoto et al. in 2003. One hundred and thirty-nine pesticides were spiked by each of 8 laboratories at levels of 0.1 microg/g (pesticides analyzed by GC/MS) or 0.5 microg/g (pesticides analyzed by HPLC) into the 6 kinds of samples. Statistical analysis showed that 111 pesticides could be analyzed with practical precision by this method. For screening purposes, the method could analyze 118 pesticides. The median values of the limits of detection were 0.001-0.041 microg/g. The calibration curves were linear in the range of 0.5-5 microg/mL for most pesticides with median correlation coefficients of 0.983-1.000.     

Characterization of the chemical conversion films that form on Mg−Al alloy in colloidal silica solution

Chemical conversion treatment of Mg−Al alloy (AZ91) using colloidal silica as an alternative to chromate conversion was investigated as a function of solution pH, temperature, solution conditions, and treatment time. The solution used for the colloidal silica coating consisted of colloidal silica, titanium sulfate, and cobalt ions to maintain good anti-corrosion and adhesion properties. Adding CoSO₄ to the colloidal silica solution enhanced the adhesion force between the silica film and magnesium substrate. The optimum conditions for the chemical conversion treatment solution were pH 2, 90-sec treatment, and 25°C.     

Effects of rice cleaning and cooking process on the residues of flutolanil,fenobucarb, silafluofen and buprofezin in rice

We studied the effect of cleaning and cooking on the residues of flutolanil, fenobucarb, silafluofen and buprofezin in rice. The rice had been sprayed in a paddy field in Wakayama city, with 3 kinds of pesticide application protocols: spraying once at the usual concentration of pesticides, repeated spraying (3 times) with the usual concentration of pesticides and spraying once with 3 times the usual concentration of pesticides. The residue levels of pesticide decreased during the rice cleaning process. Silafluofen, which has a higher log Pow value, remained in the hull of the rice. Fenobucarb, which has a lower log Pow value, penetrated inside the rice. The residue concentration of pesticide in polished rice was higher than that in pre-washed rice processed ready for cooking. During the cooking procedure, the reduction of pesticides in polished rice was higher than that in brown rice.     

Optimal boiler control through real-time monitoring of unburned carbon in fly ash by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

A laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique has been applied for detection of unburned carbon in fly ash, and an automated LIBS unit has been developed and applied in a 1000-MW pulverized-coal-fired power plant for real-time measurement, specifically of unburned carbon in fly ash. Good agreement was found between measurement results from the LIBS method and those from the conventional method (Japanese Industrial Standard 8815), with a standard deviation of 0.27%. This result confirms that the measurement of unburned carbon in fly ash by use of LIBS is sufficiently accurate for boiler control. Measurements taken by this apparatus were also integrated into a boiler-control system with the objective of achieving optimal and stable combustion. By control of the rotating speed of a mill rotary separator relative to measured unburned-carbon content, it has been demonstrated that boiler control is possible in an optimized manner by use of the value of the unburned-carbon content of fly ash.