Development of a fast neutron radiography converter using wavelength-shifting fibers

A fluorescent converter for fast neutron radiography (FNR) comprising a scintillator and hydrogen-rich resin has been developed and applied to electronic imaging. The rate of the reaction between fast neutrons and the converter is increased by thickening the converter, but its opaqueness attenuates emitted light photons before they reach its surface. To improve the luminosity of a fluorescent converter for FNR, a novel type of converter was designed in which wavelength-shifting fibers were adopted to transport radiated light to the observation end face. The performance of the converter was compared with that of a polypropylene-based fluorescent converter in an experiment conducted at the fast-neutron-source reactor YAYOI in the University of Tokyo.     

A new voltage control equipment using fuzzy inference

Power system control equipment needs higher sensitivity and operational reliability. Advanced voltage control equipment is needed for reducing the frequency of tap changes and improving the characteristics (the relationship between the actual voltage and reference voltage) of the voltage to meet today's power system requirements. However, these objectives are in a trade-off relationship. Studies of voltage control derived from a knowledge base suitable for electric power systems can satisfy these objectives using fuzzy inference. Compared with corresponding conventional equipment, the new equipment improved the deviation of 30 min average voltage of 30 percent. This paper describes the design concept of new voltage control equipment using fuzzy inference. In addition, field test results are described along with rules of fuzzy inference, membership functions, and the deviation of 30 min average voltage through detailed simulation.     

Synthesis of polymers and copolymers of c-(Nϵ-AcrLys-Gly) and interactions with metal ions in solution

A vinyl compound carrying a cyclic dipeptide in the side chain, c-(N^?-AcrLys-Gly), has been synthesized and polymerized using radical initiators. The homopolymer was soluble only in water, Me₂SO, $\text{H}{}_2\text{O}\text{Me}{}_2\text{SO}$ and $\text{H}{}_2\text{O}\text{HCONMe}{}_2$. In the latter solvent, an initially clear solution became turbid upon standing. Copolymers with styrene were prepared and a styrene-rich fraction was found to be soluble in a variety of organic solvents. However, the reduced viscosity of a HCONMe₂ solution of the copolymer increased with dilution. CH₂Cl₂-soluble copolymers extracted barium picrate and NaBPh₄ from aqueous solution, and copolymer gels swollen in dioxane bound NaBPh₄ effectively. Metal salt binding should have resulted from the ion-dipole interaction between Ba²⁺ or Na⁺ and cyclic dipeptides. However, the polymer effect due to the intramolecular cooperation of cyclic dipeptides upon ion binding was not quantitatively estimated.     

Conformational studies of poly(N-methyl-l-alanine) by n.m.r. spectroscopy

Nuclear magnetic resonance (n.m.r.) and circular dichroism of $\text{poly}\text{(N-}\text{methyl-}\text{l}\text{-alanine}\text{)}$ in methylene $\text{chloride}\text{-d}{}_2\text{dichloroacetic acid}$ were investigated. In methylene chloride-d₂$\text{poly}\text{(N-}\text{methyl-}\text{l}\text{-alanine}\text{)}$ was found to consist of nearly all-trans amide bonds and assume a stable secondary structure. Trace amounts of cis amide bonds were also present. The addition of dichloroacetic acid destroyed the secondary structure and induced a drastic change of the n.m.r. spectrum, which was similar to that observed with the monomeric amide, $\text{N-}\text{acetyl}\text{-N-}\text{methyl-}\text{l}\text{-alanine}$ dimethylamide. In comparison of the polymer with the monomeric amide, it was concluded that the transition of $\text{poly}\text{(N-}\text{methyl-}\text{l}\text{-alanine}\text{)}$ was caused by the isomerization of amide bonds. The complex n.m.r. spectrum was interpreted in terms of the distribution along the polymer chain of various non-planar amide links as well as planar cis and trans amide links. The difference of the mechanism of conformational transition between poly(amino acid) and poly(imino acid) is also discussed.     

Nonlinear effects on spin waves in3He-4He dilute solutions

Spin dynamics of³He-⁴He dilute solution have been studied in the collisionless regime by NMR methods. In cw NMR experiments, we observed spin waves in a magnetic field gradient. The frequency difference between the first mode and the others obeyed a two-thirds power law in the strength of the field gradient. By using a pulsed NMR method, nonlinear spin dynamics were studied. We observed the large amplitude spin waves after an rf pulse. The frequency of each spin-wave mode depended on the tipping angle. By using the parameter determined in the present experiment, the numerical calculated results based on Leggett-Rice theory are in good agreement with the results of the pulsed NMR experiments.     

Measurement of self-diffusion coefficients in Li ionic conductors by using the short-lived radiotracer of 8Li

For the effective use of short-lived radioactive beams, soon to be available at the Tokai Radioactive Ion Accelerator Complex, the authors have developed a radiotracer method for diffusion studies in solids. The experimental test was performed by the measurement of the diffusion coefficients of Li in a sample of the compound βLiAl using an α-emitting radiotracer of ⁸Li (T_1/2=0.84 s). It was found that the time-dependent yields of the α particles from the diffusing ⁸Li that was initially implanted in the sample could be used as a measure of the diffusivity of the tracer in a nondestructive way. The method was applied to measure the self-diffusion coefficients of Li in βLiGa, and for investigating how the Li diffusion in the Li ionic conductors is affected by the concentration of atomic defects (i.e., the existence of the atomic vacancies of Li and the defects in Ga sites that are replaced by Li).     

Optimization of facial skin temperature-based anomaly detection model considering diurnal variation

Artificial Life and Robotics - The amount of blood under the surface of skin is controlled by the autonomic nervous system and directly influences the facial skin temperature. Classification models...     

Testing for jumps in the stochastic volatility models

This paper proposes the Lagrange multiplier (LM) test, or the score test, for jumps in the stochastic volatility (SV) model in the cases where the innovation term follows the normal and Student t-distributions. The tested null hypothesis is that the jump density has zero variance, which is expressed by Dirac’s delta function. It is shown that the unknown jump probability, which is an unidentified parameter under the null hypothesis, is cancelled out in the LM test statistic, and hence this test is free from the estimation problem of unidentified parameters, which is known as the Davies problem [R.B. Davies, Hypothesis testing when a nuisance parameter is present only under the alternative, Biometrika 64 (1977) 247–254]. Monte Carlo experiments show that the null distribution of the LM test statistic can be approximated by the normal distribution with sufficient accuracy.