A stacking mechanism for setting bills upright in an automated teller machine

 To deal with circulated bills in various conditions regarding size, shape, and rigidity, we have developed a new bill-stacking cassette that can accept and re-dispense various-sized bills. This cassette stacks the bills upright by using deforming guides and sheet rollers under our newly developed “phase control”. It was experimentally verified by stacking tests that the cassette can handle bills in various conditions; thus, we conclude that the new cassette is practical for stacking circulated bills and re-dispensing them securely. Received: 14 August 2001/Accepted: 11 December 2001     

Behavior of a mechanically anchored waterproofing membrane system under wind suction and uniform Pressure

A pressure and wind tunnel test was conducted to obtain the basic data for wind resistance design of a mechanically anchored waterproofing membrane system. The test specimen was a flat roof with the following dimensions: 2.4 m in width, 3 m in length and 0.29 m in height. The waterproofing material was polyvinyl chloride sheet reinforced with polyester fiber (PVC sheets). In the pressure test, because the applied pressure was equivalent to the pressure on the entire surface area of the roof, the billowing heights of the PVC sheet around the fastener had almost the same maximum values; therefore, the axial force at the fastener was also similar to the pressure induced by a compressor, and no lateral forces were measured. On the other hand, in the wind tunnel test, the strain of the PVC sheet around the fastener at windward side was larger than that of the leeward side. The lateral force was 70% of the axial force at a mean wind speed of 38.6 m/s. Therefore, it was clear that the characteristics of the mechanically anchored waterproofing membrane system in the pressure test and the wind tunnel test were different.     

Development of a non-contact micro-liquid mixing method and application to chemical auto-analyzers

A new mixing method, which can mix some hundred microliters of liquid in a vessel without any physical contact, was developed. This mixing method used free surface waves in a vessel generated by ultrasound irradiation from outside the vessel. First, feasibility of circulation flow induced by waves was discussed with a numerical simulation. The mixing mechanism was then experimentally verified by flow visualization using a dye. Next, the method was applied to mixing serums and reagents. The serum-reagent mixture was visualized by using the Schlieren method, and the mixing performance was quantified from the visualized images. The experimental results show that the new mixing method is suitable for volumes of serum-reagent mixtures ranging up to . Finally, by implementing the new mixing method in a standard chemical auto-analyzer, a new kind of chemical auto-analyzer that does not suffer cross-contamination between samples was produced.     

Predicting nitrogen leaching with the modified LEACHM model: validation in soils receiving long-term application of animal manure composts

A variety of process-based models have been developed for predicting nitrogen (N) dynamics in agro-ecosystem; however, no reliable models have been validated for N leaching from soils receiving a long-term application of different types of animal manure composts. The Leaching Estimation and Chemistry Model (LEACHM) was recently modified by incorporating the basic structure of Rothamsted Carbon Model for extending its ability to describe soil organic matter decomposition and subsequent N leaching in soils rich in organic matter. We evaluate the applicability of the modified LEACHM in cropped Yellow soils receiving 10-year application of cattle or swine manure compost in addition to chemical fertilizers, where high-frequency field monitoring data of soil water contents, soil N contents and leachate N concentrations were available for the last 3 years. Particular attention was paid to determine all input parameters from independent measurements, parameterization from known soil properties or databases without optimisation to fit the measured field data. The model reasonably predicted temporal changes in the soil NH₄-N and NO₃-N contents, and inorganic N concentrations in the leachate as well as their differences due to different manure compost/chemical fertilizer applications. The simulations of leached N concentration yielded a Willmott index of agreement (IA) of 0.62–0.68, with those for soil moisture, soil nitrate content and crop N uptake all within an acceptable IA range. In view of the good performance without site-specific calibrations, the modified LEACHM appears to be a valuable tool for predicting N leaching from cropped soils receiving long-term manure compost applications.     

采用6个彩色LED的6基色23英寸WXGA液晶显示器

我们开发成功一种采用6个彩色LED的6基色液晶显示器,实现了具有170%色阈或者说比传统技术宽得多的6基色LCD。本研究是由日本新能源与工业技术发展机构(NEDO)组织进行的。     

Improving graphitization degree of mesophase pitch-derived carbon fiber by solid-phase annealing of spun fiber

The solid-phase annealing of the mesophase pitch spun fiber was examined between the glass transition (T_g) and softening (T_s) temperatures of the pitch to improve the graphitization degree of the graphitized fiber through recovering or further improving the stacking height of the mesogen molecules in the spun fiber, since the rapid spinning reduced markedly stacking height in the as-spun fiber. A naphthalene mesophase pitch as received carried stacking height of 2.9 nm which was markedly reduced to 1.7 nm by spinning at 230 m/min, giving Lc=40 nm for its graphitized fiber. Annealing at 206 °C improved the stacking height of the spun fiber to 2.4 nm and Lc(002) of the graphitized fiber to 54 nm. Annealing of the methylnaphthalene mesophase pitch fiber at 200 °C was much more effective in improving the stacking height from 3.5 to 5.0 nm and its graphitized fiber to Lc=91 from 40 nm. Such an improved graphitization degree led to improved thermal conductivity and tensile modulus of the graphitized fiber. It must be noted that the annealing of the spun fiber reduced its stabilization rate, indicating densification of molecular stacking in the fiber. The transformation scheme of mesophase pitch into graphite fibers is discussed to clarify the roles of molecular stacking in the clusters and their arrangement in the mesophase pitch fiber during the carbon manufacturing process.     

Enzymatic Transesterification of 3,7-Dimethyl-4,7- octadien-1-ol Using Lipases

Enzymatic transesterification of (±)-3,7-dimethyl-4,7-octadien-1-ol ( 1 ) using various lipases and vinyl esters resulted in the formation of (S)-(+)-1-acyloxy-3,7-dimethyl-4,7-octadiene ((S)- 2 ) and (R)-(-)-3,7-dimethyl-4,7-octadien-1-ol ((R)- 1 ). Cyclization of (R)- 1 with iodine afforded (4R)-(-)-cis-4-methyl-2-(2-methyl-1-propenyl)tetrahydropyran ((-)-rose oxide). © 1997 SCI.     

Four‐segment oscillator circuit for piezoelectric sensing devices

Novel circuit design is proposed for a low‐frequency quartz crystal oscillator circuit that consists of four segments. The characteristics of the negative resistance in a low‐frequency Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS)‐inverter quartz oscillator were reviewed for the two modes of SC (stress‐compensated) cut mode and the overtone of low‐frequency mode; separation of two modes and suppression of overtone oscillation were demonstrated successfully. Experimental results and an estimate of the absolute value of the negative resistance are presented for the four‐segment oscillator circuit and the conventional Colpitts circuit and two new types of oscillator circuits. © 2011 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

采用浸没式平板陶瓷膜处理东江原水的应用试验

采用过滤面积0.571 2 m2,孔径为60～70 nm的平板陶瓷膜,对东江原水进行过滤试验,研究在不同渗透通量、原水浊度、原水有机物浓度下陶瓷膜对浊度和有机物的去除效果,以及陶瓷膜跨膜压差的变化。结果表明,渗透通量、原水浊度和有机物浓度的升高都会引起跨膜压差的升高,其中有机物浓度的影响大于浊度的影响;膜出水水质分析表明陶瓷膜出水浊度稳定在0.1 NTU以下,各项指标除氨氮外都满足新的国家饮用水水质标准;陶瓷膜过滤能将病原微生物有效去除,从而提高水体的微生物安全保障水平;陶瓷膜能显著去除水中分子量大于2 000 Da的有机物,但对小分子有机物和无机离子基本没有去除效果。膜清洗试验表明,使用单种化学清洗剂时NaOH的效果最好。