A T‐LCLC type immittance converter

“Immittance converter” is short for “impedance–admittance converter.” The immittance converter has an input impedance that is proportional to the admittance of the load connected across output terminals. In this converter, the output current is proportional to the input voltage and the input current is proportional to the output voltage. Consequently, it converts a constant voltage source into a constant current source and a constant current source into a constant voltage source. It is well known that the quarter‐wavelength transmission line shows immittance conversion characteristics. However, it has very long line length for the switching frequency, and is not suitable for power electronics application. Thus, we proposed immittance converters that consist of lumped elements L, C and show improved immittance conversion characteristics at a resonant frequency. In this paper, we propose a T‐LCLC‐type immittance converter, which has the transitive configuration and both advantages of T‐LCL‐ and π‐CLC‐type immittance converters. We show voltage–current transformation characteristics and frequency characteristics and efficiency characteristics of the T‐LCLC immittance converter. These characteristics were determined analytically and experimentally. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 142(3): 57–63, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.10095     

Influence of two weeks of non-weight bearing on rat soleus motoneurons and muscle fibers

OBJECTIVES: To analyse the ethical implications of informing patients about their do-not-resuscitate status (DNR). DESIGN: Questionnaire. SETTING: Nationwide, 6 months after the publication of guidelines on DNR in 1994. SUBJECTS: A 10% random sample of the members of the Swedish Cardiac Society. 104 physicians and 196 nurses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: To what extent are patients, physicians and nurses involved in decisions about DNR, and how should the ethical conflict involved in informing patients about their DNR status be described and analysed? RESULTS: Of 73% responding, 84% of the physicians and 8% of the nurses had made a DNR decision. The decision was regarded as ethically right and well timed and it was discussed with 33% of the competent patients. Half of the respondents believed that DNR orders should be discussed with the competent patient. but still only one third of the patients are involved. The ethical conflict is analysed using the principles of autonomy and nonmaleficence as value premises. CONCLUSIONS: Many physicians are still reluctant to find out what the patient wants. Being ignorant they risk harming the patient. It is recommended that information about DNR status should be given incrementally and that the attitudes of the old and chronically ill in-hospital patients are studied. Do they want to be informed, and if so, how and when do they want it to be done?     

Robust feedforward control system considering sudden disturbance for optical disk recording system

This paper proposes a new robust feedforward tracking servo system for optical disk recording systems in the case of a sudden disturbance for the optical disk recording system. In optical recording systems, the tracking servo system must suppress tracking error below its tolerance. This paper designs the robust feedback control system by using the coprime factorization and disturbance observer. The proposed robust feedback control system suppresses the sudden disturbance caused by walking and running. The detecting signal of optical disk recording systems is only a tracking error. Hence, the feedforward controller of the proposed tracking control system is constructed based on both Zero Phase Error Tracking (ZPET) control theory and prediction of tracking error. The experimental results point out that the proposed tracking servo system has a quick and precise tracking response and keeps the residual tracking error below its tolerance. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 156(4): 60– 68, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20257     

Decreased collagenase expression in cultured systemic sclerosis fibroblasts

Protein splicing involves the removal of an internal protein sequence from a precursor molecule and the ligation of the two flanking sequences to produce a mature protein product, in a post-translational event analogous to the removal of an intron from rRNA. Protein splicing introns, or 'inteins' appear to be a novel type of genetic element capable of mediating gene conversion of an 'intein-less' allele, and hence promoting their own dissemination. The mechanism by which protein splicing is achieved is probably entirely encoded within the internal protein sequence, or intein, and does not require other accessory molecules. Although the concept of protein splicing inteins as selfish genetic elements of no immediate consequence to the host organism has emerged, this interpretation is questioned by recent evidence that in at least one example there appears to have been selection for protein splicing.     

High electron mobility 18300 cm2/V·s in the InAIAs/lnGaAs pseudomorphic structure obtained by channel indium composition modulation

The highest electron mobility yet reported for an InP-based pseudomorphic structure at room temperature, 18300 cm²/V·s, has been obtained by using a structure with an indium composition modulated channel, namely, In_0.53Ga_0.47As/ In_0.8Ga_0.2As/InAs/In_0.8Ga_0.2As/In_0.53Ga_0.47As. Although the total thickness of the high In-content layers (In_0.8Ga_0.2As/InAs/In_0.8Ga_0.2As) exceeds the critical thick-ness predicted by Matthews theory, In_0.8Ga_0.2As insertion makes it possible to form smooth In_0.53Ga_0.47As/In_0.8Ga_0.2As and In_0.8Ga_0.2As/InAs heterointerfaces. This structure can successfully enhance carrier confinement in the high In-content layers. This superior carrier confinement can be expected to lead to the highest yet reported electron mobility.     

Studies on social learning in Japan.

An increasing concern in contemporary psychology in Japan is the study of observational learning and imitation in the social learning, personality, and clinical fields. The literature in these fields from 1964 to 1975 is reviewed, including learning-by-observing vs learning-by-performing, observer learning, the process of observational learning, mediational processes, effects of motivation on observational learning, effects of various reinforcement factors underlying modeling, the relationship between model and observer, observational learning studies unique to Japan, application of modeling to clinical fields, and self-reinforcement. (1? p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Grain-boundary depressed diffusion of oxygen ions in ThO2

The oxygen self-diffusion coefficients were determined for polycrystalline ThO₂ microspheres by an isotope exchange technique using ¹⁸O as the tracer. The diffusion coefficients in the temperature range 1099°–1644°C were represented by $\text{D = 5.67 × 10}{}^{\mathrm{?3}}\text{exp[?219(kJ/mol)/RT] cm}{}^2\text{/s}$. The results were one order smaller in magnitude than those reported for single crystal ThO₂, while the activation energy was similar to that for the single crystal. Mechanism of the grain-boundary depressed oxygen diffusion was discussed.     

Lattice diffusion coefficient of oxygen in lithium oxide

Lattice diffusion coefficients of the oxygen ion in antifluorite-cubic Li₂O were determined employing polycrystalline samples, in the temperature range of 920 ~ 1130°C, by means of the gas-solid isotope exchange and solid-phase analysis technique; use was made of the relationship between the particle-size and grain-size dependences of the grain-boundary enhanced diffusion. The results were described by D = 1.52 × 10³ exp$\text{(?83.3 × 10}{}^3\text{/RT)}\text{cm}{}^2\text{s}$ and showed a good agreement with the previously reported results determined by the gas-phase analysis technique. Diffusion characteristics of the constituent ions in the antifluorite-cubic structure were discussed in comparison with those in fluorite-cubic crystals.     

Activity determinator for the automatic measurements of the chemical potentials of FeO in metallurgical slags

An automatic system for rapid determinations of the activities of FeO in metallurgical slags has been developed. With this facility, one datum is obtainable within 5 minutes. The facility was applied for the activity measurements in the system CaO + SiO₂ + FeO, while activity data obtained were consistent with those deduced from the phase diagram.