Active control for the suspension of large-sized buses using fuzzy logic

An active suspension of large-sized buses by using fuzzy logic is considered. The active control for the suspension is determined by minimizing the mean squares of vertical and rotary accelerations of vehicle body subject to the constraints of suspension and tyre deflections. The vehicle model is assumed to be a linear system with six degrees of freedom excited by road profiles. The tuning of fuzzy control rules and associated parameters that characterize the active control is carried out where two kinds of road profiles are considered. In the simulation results, the proposed active suspension shows improved performance over passive suspension     

Hydration of heat-treated soy protein isolate and its effect on the molten flow properties at an elevated temperature

The relationship between the flow properties of soy protein isolate (SPI) at 140°C, measured using an extrusion viscometer, and changes in the hydration state were investigated. The state of the water in SPI was analysed by measurement of the freezable water content using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and by spin-spin relaxation rate (R₂) measurements using pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The dependence of the flow properties on the state of water was indicated by the correspondence between the water content at which the flow characteristics of molten SPI changed, and the critical water content indicated by DSC measurement of the minimum freezable water content, and by the inflection point in NMR measurement of the spin-spin relaxation rate (R₂).     

Modified peniotron using a TE11 rectangular waveguide cavity

This paper proposes a modified peniotron which is expected to increase both handling power and conversion efficiency compared with the original peniotron, and reports the analytical results or its operational characteristics using some computer simulations. Analytical results assuming the fundamental operation of ω₀ ? ω_c at l0GHz show that an extremely high transverse efficiency of nearly 100% may be attainable over a considerably wide range of output power. The tube uses a TE₁₁ rectangular waveguide cavity instead of the double-pair ridged waveguide cavity used for the original peniotron.     

Lipid Content and Fatty Acid Composition in Bamboo Shoots

Lipids from bamboo shoots (Phyllostachys pubescens), peeled and divided from top to base, were extracted and fractionated into three classes, and each class separated into constituent components by thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Fatty acid composition and amount of separated lipids were determined. Total lipids (TL) ranged from 800 (top) to 380 mg (base) per 100g fresh weight and the ratio of nonpolar lipids (NPL):glycolipids (GL):phospholipids (PL) was about 17:27:56. The main fatty acids of the three lipid classes were palmitic, linoleic and linolenic acids, but composition was remarkably different among these fractions. The fatty acid composition of triglycerides (TG) was similar to the original NPL. Palmitic acid was almost all located in 1-, 3-position, linoleic acid mainly located in 2-position of TG, while linolenic acid was distributed in each position. Digalactosyl diglyceride (DGDG) and monogalactosyl diglyceride (MGDG) were the main components of GL; the average of the former had about 37% linoleic and 29% linolenic acids, while the latter had about 25% linoleic and 62% linolenic acids. Bamboo shoots contained 9 PL fractions, the major being phosphatidyl choline (PC) and phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE). PC contained about 48% linoleic, 31% palmitic and 11% linolenic acids, and PE also had the similar tendency as PC.     

Development of a knowledge-based decision support system for diagnosing malfunctions of advanced production equipment

This paper presents a case study documenting the development of an expert system for diagnosing the malfunctions of a machine used by the NEC Corporation to mount chips on integrated circuit boards. Development of the expert system was justified by the inability of operators to efficiently diagnose many malfunctions of the chip-mounting machine, the associated cost of production delays, and the disruption incurred when experts were forced to leave unrelated tasks to help operators troubleshoot malfunctions. The first step in development of the expert system was to elicit and organize the machine designer's knowledge. This process resulted in a hierarchical classification of malfunction symptoms and causes, a set of 15 flow diagrams documenting the designer's troubleshooting procedures for particular malfunction symptoms, and a matrix documenting design information. The flow diagrams were translated into a large logic network diagram, which was directly translated into a set of 94 rules. An additional set of 270 rules were derived from the design matrix. The resulting 364 rules were then implemented in an expert system using the KES shell. On-site validation revealed that 92% of the chip-mounting machine's malfunctions occurring in 1988-1989 were successfully diagnosed by the expert system. Future directions of this research will be oriented toward the development of a general purpose expert system capable of diagnosing the malfunctions of other similar production equipment.     

Crack formation in mesophase pitch-basedcarbon fibres: Part I Some influential factors for crack formation

The crack observable in the transverse section of mesophase pitch-based graphitized fibres was studied to clarify its development on spinning, stabilization, carbonization and graphitization, and to find the factors influential on the development on spinning. The crack was already observed as an embryo in the as-spun fibre of radial texture, which increased the opening angle according to the extent of shrinkage due to carbonization and graphitization. The spinning temperature, length/diameter, diameter and wall material of the spinning nozzle and the kind of mesophase pitch were found influential in crack development, defining the transverse texture and the extent of longitudinal alignment along the fibre axis. Although the radial texture defined under an optical microscope tends to give a crack, not all of such textures carried the crack, suggesting the necessity of more detailed classification of the texture in terms of alignment, shape and size of domains observed under high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM). The factors revealed as being influential on the textures appear to be related to the apparent viscosity, the perfectness of the radial orientation and die-swelling at the outlet of the nozzle to modify the texture defined through the nozzle. The interaction of the mesophase pitch with the nozzle wall and flow properties should be emphasized as factors controlling the texture on spinning. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

HPLC Analyses of Amino Acids in Plant Materials as DNP-Derivatives by Use of Methyl Benzoate as the Internal Standard

A liquid chromatographic procedure has been developed for the separation and quantification of amino acids in some vegetables by using methyl benzoate as the internal standard. The DNP-amino acid derivatives are separated on a reverse phase column (LiChrosorb RP-18, 5 μm), eluted with a linear gradient of 20–75% v/v acetonitrile in 1% v/v glacial acetic acid in water. The column effluent is monitored at 254 run. A total analysis of DNP-amino acids was completed in less than 55 min. For 14 amino acids and asparagine plus glutamine, separation and quantification were satisfactory. This technique has been used effectively to analyze amino acids in biological samples by the internal standard method.     

Voltage Control Using PV Power Factor,Static Capacitor,and Transformer Tap for Large PV Penetration

The Japanese government has set 53 GW as the target level of PV deployment by 2030. However, the large‐scale introduction of PV will cause several problems in power systems. One of these problems is the increase in voltage due to decreased load demands associated with large PV active power output. Another problem is voltage variations caused by fluctuations in PV system output. In this paper, we focus our attention on the voltage and reactive power control for large‐scale PV deployment and propose voltage control using the PF (PV power factor), SC (static capacitor), and TAP (transformer tap). In the proposed method, the SC and TAP controls consider voltage stability through the use of VMPI‐i and VMPI‐i sensitivity, and the PF control suppresses voltage variation and voltage spikes. Finally, we simulate these controls using the Ward–Hale system to verify the validity of the proposed method.     

Correct self-consistent small signal analysis of peniotron mode in rotating electron-beam devices

In this paper, we make clear that already reported self-consistent small signal analyses of gyrotron and peniotron modes in rotating electron devices is applicable only for a gyrotron mode, and not for a peniotron mode. Here, we propose the new correct self-consistent small signal analysis of the peniotron mode and show some of our numerical results which indicate the distinct characteristics of the peniotron modes from those of the gyrotron ones     

Determination of Alpha-Keto Acids in Banana Pulp by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

A liquid chromatographic procedure has been developed for the separation and quantification of α-keto acids. The DNPH-derivatives are separated on a column of LiChrosorb Si-60 (5 μm), eluted with petroleum ether/ethyl formate/propionic acid (65/35/5, v/v/v), and the column effluent is monitored by UV spectrophotometory at 350 nm. A total analysis of DNPH-keto acids was completed in less than 10 min. The amount of pyruvic, α-ketoglutaric, and oxaloacetic acid in ripe banana pulp was 347, 225, and 13 μg/100g fresh weight, respectively. This technique has been used effectively to analyze α-keto acids in biological samples.