Anti‐Sway Crane Control Considering Wind Disturbance and Container Mass

A method for estimating the sway angle using an observer has already been proposed. The state observer estimates the sway angle accurately and must use the detected sway angle value. However, the estimated sway angle has an error owing to rope length error, friction force, and wind. Moreover, the container mass cannot be determined, and therefore the observer parameter is not suitable. We already proposed robust antisway control for overcoming rope length error without adding a new sensor. Further, we designed a friction disturbance observer to cancel out the influence of the friction force. In this paper, we first propose a container mass estimation method when a crane system performs rolling up control. The observer parameter can be selected using the estimated mass value. Second, in crane parallel shift control, we propose a robust antisway control even when there is a wind disturbance. We design a wind disturbance observer and propose a wind disturbance estimator to separate the friction observer output from the wind disturbance observer output. We confirm through experiments that the proposed method can reduce vibration.     

Cover Picture: UV‐Light‐Induced Swelling and Visible‐Light‐Induced Shrinking of a TiO2‐Containing Redox Gel (Adv. Mater. 9/2007)

Polyacrylate gels containing Ag⁺ and TiO₂ nanoparticles are shown to swell under UV light and shrink under visible light in water. In work reported by Tetsu Tatsuma and co‐workers on p. 1249, the TiO₂ absorbs UV light and reduces the Ag⁺, whereas the deposited Ag absorbs visible light and dissolves itself. These redox reactions change the interactions between the polymer chains and eventually the volume of the gel, as shown on the cover.     

Thermal stability of reinforced Nb3Sn composite superconductor under cryocooled conditions

Several types of reinforced Nb₃Sn wires have been developed to prevent reduction of superconducting properties by applying a strong electromagnetic force. To fabricate a cryocooled magnet using those reinforced wires, we experimentally measured the minimum quench energy (MQE) under cryocooled conditions of some reinforced Nb₃Sn wires. As a result, it became clear that thermal stability expressed as MQE was controlled by the temperature margin between the temperature of the operating condition and the transition temperature from superconductivity to normal. Using the FEM analysis, it was realized that the cause of the decline in thermal stability for the reinforced wires was the low thermal conductivity of the reinforced materials.     

Phase diagrams calculated for Fe-rich Fe-Si-Co and Fe-Si-Al ordering alloy systems

Theoretical analysis based on the calculation of phase diagrams was employed for Fe-Si-Co and Fe-Si-Al ordering systems to clarify the necessity for the occurrence of phase separation in Fe-base ternary ordering systems. The free energy of Fe-base ternary ordering alloys where B2 and D0₃ ordered structures are formed is evaluated statistically using a pairwise interaction approximation up to second nearest neighbours, taking into account not only the atomic interaction but also the magnetic interaction, based on the Bragg-Williams-Gorsky model. The calculated phase diagrams are consistent with the experimentally obtained ones. The phase diagram calculation in this work is useful to predict the equilibrium states of the ternary ordering systems. The phase separation in ordering alloys is caused by the contribution of excess free energies due to ordering. The influences of ferromagnetism on the two-phase regions are also demonstrated.     

Tunable laser for sensing atmospheric transmission in the infrared region of 11 ∼ 16 µm

We succeeded in observing the continuously tunable, pulsed InSb SFR (Spin-Flip Raman) laser emission in the infrared region of 11～16µm (11.4～16.3µm) from only one InSb device, merely by adjusting the pumping wavelength (11 lines from the infrared NH₃ laser) and the applied magnetic field (0～80 kGauss).     

Effect of rapid sample cooling on efficiency of multiple impurity-atom doping

Shallow and efficient doping of wide band-gap semiconductors has remained one of yet unresolved problems to date. A possible solution to this problem is doping with complexes of a few impurity atoms at a quasi-equilibrium state, which is introduced by controlled cooling of a sample after doping. In this work, (1) we first define a global and quasi-equilibria of our interest based on a simple thermodynamic model for a doped crystal, and then (2) we discuss how the cooling rate affects the probability of impurity-complex formation at a quasi-equilibrium as defined. Our main message is that one should design impurity complexes as small in size as possible which have as large a binding energy as possible. This is a required condition for complex designs when it is difficult to tune the cooling rate.     

Immunochemical characterization of anti-H monoclonal antibodies obtained from a mouse immunized with human saliva

Three IgM class anti-H monoclonal antibodies (1E3, 1E5 and 3H1) were obtained from a BALB/c mouse immunized with human O type saliva. These antibodies were found to agglutinate red cells from O group and A and B subgroups but not from Bombay and para-Bombay individuals whose H antigen was barely detected by anti-H reagents. The agglutination reactions of these antibodies were inhibited by H antigens from human tissues. It was also demonstrated that both 1E3 and 3H1 reacted with H disaccharide (Fuc alpha 1-->2Gal beta), H type 1 (Fuc alpha 1-->2Gal beta 1-->3GlcNAc beta), H type 2 (Fuc alpha 1-->2Gal beta 1-->4GlcNAc beta), H type 3 (Fuc alpha 1-->2Gal beta 1-->3GalNAc alpha) and H type 4 (Fuc alpha 1-->2Gal beta 1-->3GalNAc beta) but not with Lea (Gal beta 1-->3[Fuc alpha 1-->4]GlcNAc beta), Leb (Fuc alpha 1-->2Gal beta 1-->3[Fuc alpha 1-->4]GlcNAc beta), X (Gal beta 1-->4[Fuc alpha-->3]GlcNAc beta) or Y (Fuc alpha 1-->2Gal beta 1-->4[Fuc alpha 1-->3]GlcNAc beta). On the other hand, 1E5 was found to react with H type 1, H type 2, Leb and Y. Because of the unique reactivities against various fucosyl linkages these monoclonal antibodies could be useful not only as anti-H reagents but also as reagents for the structural analysis of fucosylated glycoconjugates.     

Dynamic stress intensity factors analysis of interface crack using line-spring model

In this study, a new method for calculating the dynamic stress intensity factors of a bimaterial bending specimen with an interface crack is proposed by making use of a line-spring model. A pre-cracked bending specimen is modeled by one-dimensional beam finite elements and a line-spring representing the stiffness or compliance of a cracked part. The proposed method enables the one-dimensional analysis of a two-dimensional crack problem; thus the time variations of the dynamic stress intensity factors of a bimaterial bending specimen with an interface crack can be obtained by making use of a personal computer within a few minutes. The results obtained by the proposed method agree reasonably well with those obtained by the two-dimensional finite element method, although a slight difference in period can be found. The proposed method enables rapid evaluation of dynamic stress intensity factors. So a rapid evaluation system of the dynamic fracture toughness of a bimaterial with an interface crack can be achieved by combining an instrumented impact test apparatus with a computer program based on the proposed method which runs on a personal computer.     

Analysis of proliferative activity using anti-proliferating cell nuclear antigen antibody in gastric cancer tissue specimens obtained by endoscopic biopsy

BACKGROUND: Proliferative activities of tumors are thought to be prognostic features of malignant tumors, but their value as measured by proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) labeling remains unclear in gastric cancer. METHODS: PCNA labeling rates (LR) were quantified in 121 paraffin-embedded biopsy specimens from primary tumors by immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical analyses have demonstrated that PCNA presents an intense staining in the nuclei of tumor cells and mucous neck cells of gastric glands. The PCNA LR ranged from 12% to 79% (mean +/- standard deviation), and a significant correlation was found between bromodeoxyuridine labeling indices and PCNA LR: PCNA LR were closely associated with tumor size, serosal invasion, and nodal involvement. The patients with tumors with high PCNA LR (greater than 40%) were dead significantly earlier than were those with tumors with low PCNA LR: When the PCNA LR and all the clinicopathologic parameters were entered into a Cox regression model, PCNA LR emerged as an independent prognostic factor. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that PCNA LR may be a potentially useful prognostic factor for gastric cancer.