Decomposition of Mullite by Silica Volatilization

Thermal decomposition of mullite into corundum was investigated using a high-temperature X-ray single-crystal camera equipped with a gas-flame furnace and by scanning electron microscopy and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). When heated to ∼1750°C, mullite decomposed to corundum by the liberation of the SiO₂ component with topotaxial relations of:

• (1) 

  (310)_mull∥(001)_cor; [001]_mull∥[110]_cor
• (2) 

  (130)_mull∥(001)_cor; [001]_mull∥[110]_cor
• (3) 

  (110)_mull∥(001)_cor; [001]_mull∥[110]_cor

Thus, it was considered that, when mullite decomposed into corundum, their oxygen close-packed planes were almost preserved. The SEM photographs showed that the crystals of the developed corundum are prismatic and ∼5 μm wide. The EPMA showed that the phase boundary between mullite and developed corundum is discontinuous.     

Control Model for Large‐Sized Gantry Type Linear Motor Slider

At present, many industrial carrier devices utilize linear motor sliders. However, a heavier load requires a linear motor (which is an example of a direct drive device) to get higher power, compared with a rotary motor with a ball screw slider (which is an example of an indirect drive device). In order to obtain higher power at a lower cost, a linear slider with multiple motors can be utilized, for example, a gantry type linear motor slider. Moving the gantry type slider requires two linear motors that are set up in parallel to enable synchronization control. Some conventional synchronization control methods have been proposed for the parallel twin linear slider; however, a large‐scaled gantry type linear motor slider has two unique problems: mechanical distortion caused by the limitations of installation environment and coupling caused by joints with low stiffness. This paper proposes a control model to solve these problems, and an identification method of each parameter. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the control model is verified by comparison with simulation results and experimental results.     

Structural Analysis of SiO2-Al2O3 Glasses

The structure of SiO₂-Al₂O₃ glasses with up to 60 wt% Al₂O₃ was investigated using the radial distribution function together with the correlation method based on X-ray scattering intensity data. Radial distribution curves are interpreted on the basis of glass-in-glass separation with the constituents of SiO₂-rich and Al₂O₃-rich glasses. The structure of the Al₂O₃-rich glass has a short-range ordering similar to the crystal structure of mullite. The calculated S- i (S) curve of this model gives good agreement with the observed one.     

Method for Diffusing Carrier Noise under Zero‐Speed Condition using a Zero‐Sequence Voltage

In this paper, a technique is proposed to reduce the carrier noise of pulse width modulation (PWM) inverters for a permanent magnet motor drive. The carrier noise is generated by the motor and the reactor driven by the inverter and affected by the switching frequency. When a motor rotates and drives a machine, the carrier noise is hidden by the machine noise. However, when the motor speed is approximately zero, the carrier noise becomes dominant and raucous. The typical method to reduce the noise employs a switching frequency higher than the audible frequency of human hearing. However, the increase in switching frequency results in the inverter suffering a higher switching loss and lower efficiency. In particular, when the permanent magnet motor operates at approximately zero‐speed and full‐load, for example, in the hill‐start conditions of electric vehicles and the start and stop conditions of elevators, the current flows in specific power devices and the switching loss further increases. The proposed technique uses a zero‐sequence voltage, which is generated randomly with the M‐sequence signal, and diffuses the frequency components of the ripple contained in the current. The technique is able to reduce the noise without increasing the switching frequency of the inverter when the motor speed is almost zero. Simulation and experimental results show that the proposed technique can diffuse the carrier noise and the cycle of the M‐sequence signal changes the diffusion effect of the carrier noise.     

Technical foundations of TANDEM-STRAIGHT,a speech analysis,modification and synthesis framework

This article presents comprehensive technical information about STRAIGHT and TANDEM-STRAIGHT, a widely used speech modification tool and its successor. They share the same concept: the periodic excitation found in voiced sounds is an efficient mechanism for transmitting underlying smooth time–frequency representation. The tools are also based on the perceptual equivalence of two sets of independent Gaussian random signals. This equivalence makes it possible to discard input phase information intentionally and enables flexible manipulation of parameters.     

DIFFERENT ARRANGEMENT OF ɛ-(γ-GLUTAMYL)LYSINE CROSS-LINKING IN ALASKA POLLOCK (THERAGRA CHALCOGRAMMA) SURIMI PROTEINS BY STREPTOVERTICILLIUM AND ENDOGENOUS TRANSGLUTAMINASES DURING SUWARI PROCESS

The objective of the present study is to compare the protein cross‐linking reaction in Alaska pollock surimi that is catalyzed by a commercially available microbial transglutaminase and by endogenous Alaska pollock transglutaminase. The endogenous transglutaminase was inhibited by EGTA and activated by CaCl₂ The microbial transglutaminase was added to the salted surimi with and without EGTA and CaCl₂. These surimi pastes were incubated at 25C up to 24 h followed by cooking at 90C. The resultant gels were fractionated into soluble and insoluble (aggregate) fractions by SDS‐urea extraction. Compositional analysis revealed that the aggregate consisted predominantly of cross‐linked myosin heavy chain. The distribution of ?‐(γ‐glutamyl)lysine isopeptide in the soluble and aggregate fractions andpeptide mapping analyses of the aggregate fraction demonstrate that the formation of isopeptide cross‐links in Alaska pollock surimi proteins during suwari process differs when catalyzed by the microbial transglutaminase and endogenous transglutaminase.