Thermal diffusivity measurement of 2.25Cr-1Mo steel with internal friction

In this work, the internal friction of 2.25Cr-1Mo steel measured on a dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) was used to evaluate its thermal diffusivity at elevated temperatures. With the dual cantilever clamp, the internal friction of 2.25Cr-1Mo steel at high temperatures was obtained, which was mainly composed of the thermoelastic relaxation with a peak of 15 Hz and the broad spectrum of relaxation processes especially at low frequencies. According to the deconvolution of these results, the thermoelastic internal friction of 2.25Cr-1Mo steel at high temperatures was achieved. Then, the thermal diffusivity of 2.25Cr-1Mo steel at high temperatures was quantitatively estimated, which confirmed the validity of present method.     

Revised technique of cardiopulmonary bypass in one-stage repair of interrupted aortic arch complex

Twenty infants with interrupted aortic arch associated with various intracardiac anomalies underwent primary complete repair using pulsatile high-flow cardiopulmonary bypass with a short period of circulatory arrest. Age at repair ranged from 11 to 126 days (mean age, 43 days). Weight ranged from 2.2 to 5.5 kg (mean weight, 3.4 kg). Associated cardiac lesions included ventricular septal defect (14 patients), truncus arteriosus (3), transposition of the great arteries (2), and aortopulmonary window (1 patient). Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction was relieved in 2 patients. The aortic arch was reconstructed with a polytetrafluoroethylene graft in 7 patients and by direct anastomosis in the most recent 11 patients. An arterial cannulation method has been devised to facilitate direct anastomosis between the ascending aorta and the descending aorta, to lessen circulatory arrest time, and to prevent dangerous laceration and postoperative narrowing of the thin, small ascending aorta at the cannulation site. Two patients died, a surgical mortality rate of 10%. There has been one late death, which was due to severe truncal valve insufficiency. The other patients are doing well with a mean follow-up of 3 years 6 months. Restenosis of the direct anastomosis has not been noted in any patient. However, subaortic stenosis with pressure gradients of 30 to 40 mm Hg developed in 3 patients. In conclusion, one-stage repair including direct anastomosis for the aortic arch reconstruction and repair of all coexisting intracardiac defects is thought to be the treatment of choice.     

Validation and verification of the ICRP biokinetic model of 32P: the criticality accident at Tokai-Mura, Japan

Regrettably, a criticality accident occurred at a uranium conversion facility in Tokai-mura, Ibaraki, Japan, on 30 September 1999. Radioactivities of 32P in urine, blood and bone samples of the victims, who were severely exposed to neutrons, were measured. 32P was induced in their whole bodies at the moment of the first nuclear release by the reaction 31P (n, gamma) 32P and 32S (n, p) 32P. A realistic biokinetic model was assumed, as the exchange of 32P between the extracellular fluid compartment and the soft tissue compartment occurs only through the intracellular compartment, and the model was used for preliminary calculations. Some acute excretion of 32P, caused by decomposition or elution of tissues which occurred at the time of the accident, may have happened in the victims' bodies in the first few days. The working hypotheses in the present work should initiate renewed discussion of 32P biokinetics.     

A single-board video codec using video image signal processors

This paper discusses a newly developed single-board video codec using Video Image Signal Processors (VISPs). The codec has both a CCITT H.261 mode and a proprietary mode. Two VISPs, one for encoding and one for decoding, are used. The board size is 210 by 295 mm, the maximum frame rate is about 7.5 f/s, and the picture size is 180 by 144 pels.     

A speed-sensorless vector control method of parallel-connected dual induction motor fed by a single inverter

The purpose of this paper is to present the speed-sensorless vector control method of the torque production from each rotor of two induction motors with parallel-connected stator windings fed by a single inverter. In this paper, an adaptive rotor flux observer is applied to the method in order to eliminate a flux sensor, and an adaptive scheme for rotor speed is added to the adaptive rotor flux observer in order to eliminate a speed sensor. The experimental results show that the proposed method is useful under the condition that the ratings of each induction motor are different.