Stabilization of inter-area and/or oscillatory modes in large-scale power system by voltage impedance power system (VIPS) apparatus based on decentralized control scheme

New technologies such as power electronics have made it possible to change continuously the impedance of a power system not only to control power flow but also to enhance stability. A power system incorporating a variable impedance apparatus such as a variable series capacitor (VSrC) and high-speed phase shifter (HSPS) is called VIPS (Variable Impedance Power System) by the authors. This paper proposes a novel control method of VIPS apparatus such as VSrC and HSPS installed at an interconnecting point for stabilizing inter-area unstable and/or oscillatory modes. The proposed design method of the control system is a kind of hierarchical decentralized control method of a large-scale power system based on a Lyapunov function. Under the proposed control scheme, each subsystem can be stabilized independently by local controllers such as AVR, speed governor and PSS, and then the whole interconnected system can be stabilized by VIPS apparatus taking into account interactions between subsystems. The effectiveness and robustness of the VIPS apparatus control are shown by numerical examples with model systems including a large-scale power system.     

Superconductivity in SrTa2S5

A strontium tantalum sulfide, SrTa₂S₅, has a hexagonal structure with lattice constants of a =3.32 and c=24.1 Å. With decreasing temperature the electrical resistivity decreases monotonically and exhibits an abrupt superconducting transition at 3.16 K (midpoint). The diamagnetic susceptibility is observed below T_c. The magnetic susceptibility is nearly independent of temperature above T_c and shows Pauli paramagnetism.     

Construction of the plasmid PMEX8-HAK1 and random site-directed mutagenesis of human cytosolic adenylate kinase

The pMEX8-hAK1 vector was devised from the pAK plasmid (Kim J. H. et al., 1989, Protein Engineering 5, 379-386), which could directly express human adenylate kinase proteins without recombination and its single strand DNA could be withdrawn with helper phage for random site-directed mutagenesis. The conserved key residues at Lys21, Lys27, and Thr39 were engineered to obtain mutants for kinetic analysis. Three mutants were obtained as K21P, K27R, and T39S, their specific activities were strikingly reduced compared to those of wild type adenylate kinase. This pMEX8-hAK1 will be a powerful tool for site-directed mutagenesis to detect the substrate-enzyme interaction for human adenylate kinase including various other enzymes.     

Titanium nitride precipitation behavior in thin-slab cast high-strength low-alloy steels

To assess the potential for obtaining and utilizing titanium nitride (TiN) refinement via the increased postsolidification cooling rates associated with thin-slab casting, TiN particle size distributions were evaluated by transmission electron microscope (TEM) examination of carbon extraction replicas. Eight commercially produced thin-slab cast TiN steels, nominally 0.05 pct C, 1.2 pct Mn, and one conventionally cast steel were received. Thin slab samples were taken from three locations in the production process: quenched after casting before the tunnel furnace, quenched after tunnel furnace soaking, and the as-rolled and air-cooled final product. Effects of cooling rate were evident in the results and agree with previously documented behavior, where precipitate size decreases with increased cooling rate. Statistical differences in particle size between specimens from steels with different chemistries were shown. These variations result from differences in the driving force for precipitation, rates of coarsening, and differences in volume fraction due to changes in steel composition. The interaction of composition and processing, such as soaking in the tunnel furnace and rolling, was found to be important. For example, the hyperstoichiometric steel (excess Ti) exhibited fine TiN after casting and soaking, but dramatic coarsening after hot rolling. This behavior was attributed to deformation enhanced particle coarsening, or incomplete precipitation after soaking, followed by continued growth during subsequent processing.     

Reliability of nonhermetic bias-free LiNbO/sub 3/ modulators

Reliability for nonhermetic bias-free LiNbO/sub 3/ optical modulators is estimated from aging data in both dry and damp heat conditions. The two dominant failure modes for these devices are: 1) device performance degradation due to temperature-activated drift of the annealed proton-exchange waveguide; and 2) optical insertion loss increase due to humidity-induced deterioration of glued fiber joints. A total failure rate of 30 failures in time (FITs) is predicted for 20 years operation at 45/spl deg/C and moderate humidity conditions (40% RH). This estimate based on laboratory-test data is consistent with a field failure rate <5 FITs observed in fielded devices.     

Mobile robot control by neural networks using self-supervisedlearning

A reinforcement learning algorithm based on supervised learning is described. It uses associative search to discover and learn actions that make the system perform a desired task. One problem with associative search is that the system's actions are often inconsistent. In the searching process, the system's actions are always decided stochastically, so the system cannot perform learned actions more than once, even if they have been determined to be suitable actions for the desired task. To solve this problem, a neural network that can predict an evaluation of an action and control the influence of the stochastic element is used. Results from computer simulations using the algorithms to control a mobile robot are described     

Thermal Radiative Properties of Xonotlite Insulation Material

Introduction Xonotlite-type calcium silicate (6CaO?6SiO2?H2O) is synthesized porous insulation material by hydrothermal processing with quartz powder and limestone as the raw material (with CaO/ SiO2≈1:1). Compared with fire- retardant fibre, xonotlite has more excellent insulating performance, such as low thermal conductivity, environment friendly, high intension, and wide applying temperature range, which has been emphasized in recent years by many scholars and widely used in many indu…     

Aprotinin reduces homologous blood transfusions when pediatric cardiac surgery must be redone

The hemostatic effect of aprotinin in pediatric cardiac surgery is controversial. This study demonstrated the usefulness of aprotinin in cases undergoing additional surgery. In a retrospective study, three groups of children were investigated. In group I (n = 10), no aprotinin or Cell saver was used (control). In group II (n = 12), Cell saver was used intraoperatively. In group III (n = 14), aprotinin 30,000 KIU/kg was added to the prime of cardiopulmonary bypass, and another 10,000 KIU/kg was given every hour during extracorporeal circulation. Both blood loss and use of homologous blood during operation were significantly (p < 0.01) reduced in group III compared to those in the other two groups. In group III, blood loss both 12 and 48 hours postoperatively were one-third less than those in group I (no significant difference). The use of homologous blood 48 hours postoperatively was significantly reduced in group III compared to that in group I (p < 0.01) or group II (p < 0.05). We conclude that aprotinin administration during cardiopulmonary bypass reduced blood loss and homologous blood requirements both operatively and postoperatively when pediatric cardiac surgery must be redone.     

Identification of osteopontin in human dental calculus matrix

Osteopontin is a prominent non-collagenous component of bone matrix, although it is expressed in several other tissues. Recently, osteopontin was reported to be involved in urinary stone formation and atherosclerotic lesions of the aorta, suggesting that it may be a key protein associated with these types of pathological mineralization. In this study, whether or not human dental calculus contains osteopontin was investigated by immunoblotting and immunohistochemical analyses. After extraction of calculus proteins with EDTA and separation of the proteins by electrophoresis, immunoblotting analysis revealed the presence of osteopontin. Two forms of osteopontin appeared at 61 and 68 kDa on 10% polyacrylamide gel and the proteins were digested with thrombin, a highly specific protease. Moreover, immunohistochemical analysis revealed that osteopontin was localized in dental calculus adherent to tooth roots. These findings indicate that osteopontin is, in fact, present in human dental calculus and may be involved in calculus formation as the stone matrix.