X-ray absorptiometry

Bone mass measurements are essential in the diagnosis of osteoporosis, the monitoring of its progression, and the evaluation of therapeutical responses. Among various methods of bone mass measurements, single- and dual-X-ray absorptiometry, SXA and DXA, have shown excellent fundamental performance. In this paper, the principles of SXA and DXA; i.e., factors of fundamental performance, such as precision, data-acquisition, and radiation dose, the practice of DXA, recent advances in DXA, such as the lateral spine scan, the measurement of body composition, application to BMD measurement of the bones of small animals and at sites of metal implants, morphometry of the spine, and geometrical measurement in the proxial femur, and clinical applications to osteoporosis were particularly reviewed.     

Power swing analysis in a future metropolitan electric power system on a contingent trip of cryogenic high-power cables

A cryogenic power cable is expected to be capable of carrying bulk power as a main transmission line in a future metropolitan electric power system. It is important to establish a strategy of how to sustain power supply when such a highly densified power supply route trips from the network due to contingency. It is proposed here that the bulk power transmitted by the cryogenic cable could be distributed into the parallel conventional transmission lines by suitable circuit breaker operations in the system. In this process, power-flow routes are forced to be changed with a remarkable modification in the system configuration. In this paper, the power swings associated with the large power-flow change following contingent faults are analyzed by means of a transient network analyzer. It is found that the proposed system modification could be realized without any harmful power swing if the parameters in generators as well as in control devices have conventional magnitudes. It is shown also by simulations that the margin to occurrence in an unstable power swing is left sufficient even if the parameters deviate somewhat from the present magnitudes.     

EXPANSION AND STRESS RELAXATION OF EXPRESSED CAKE

Expansion and stress relaxation of expressed cake are discussed.

The expansion process of expressed cake after release of load is very similar to consolidation of solidndashliquid mixtures, although a liquid flow in the expansion process is opposite in direction to that in consolidalion. This process can be analyzed well by use of the Terzaghi Voigt combined model. It is shown that the rate of primary deformation in expansion is much smaller than that in consolidation under the same change in compressive pressure. It is also found that the ratio of secondary deformation to total deformation in expansion is much larger than that in consolidation.

Stress relaxation of expressed cake, which is observed when expression is stopped before attaining an equilibrium compression state of a material, can be explained by use of a consolidation and expansion theory. In the relaxation process, local expansion appears near the drainage surface while local consolndash idation appears near the center of the cake. The equilibrium cake stress is uniquely determined by the average consolidation ratio when the expression is interrupted.     

Numerical analyses of high‐beta spherical tokamaks with varied elongation

The effect of plasma elongation on the second‐stable spherical tokamak (ST) was numerically studied using the experimentally measured pressure and current profiles of ultrahigh‐beta STs. The maximum beta of ST over 50% was obtained in the TS‐3 ST/CT experiment by applying an external toroidal field to an FRC. It was found that the marginal beta for the ballooning instability increased with the plasma elongation κ of ST. The elongated STs with κ > 2 have the magnetic shear (S)–pressure gradient (α) profiles located in the second‐stable regime for the ballooning mode and the stability margin increased with κ. The close relation between the absolute minimum‐B profile and the second stability was documented. The effect of elongation on maximum beta was observed to saturate when κ exceed 3, indicating that the optimized elongation for high‐beta STs is located around 2 < κ < 3. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 155(4): 1–6, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20132     

Evaluation of static and dynamic fracture toughness in ductile cast iron

Crack extension behavior and fracture toughness of ductile cast iron were examined by three-point bend tests, where various detection methods of crack initiation under static and dynamic loading conditions were adopted. Loading on the specimens was interrupted at various displacement points, and the final fracture surfaces of the specimen were observed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Crack-tip opening displacement (CTOD) obtained under the dynamic loading condition was smaller than that under the static loading condition in ferritic ductile cast iron, and CTOD additionally decreased with increasing pearlite content in the matrix. The relationship between J (ΔC) obtained by the compliance changing rate method and J(R) established by the intersection of the crack extension resistance curve and the theoretical blunting line varied with pearlite content. The average value of .J(ΔC) and J(R), that is J (mid), was proposed to define the fracture toughness of ductile cast iron; J (mid) was considered to be a reasonable measure for the fracture toughness of ductile cast iron, irrespective of loading condition and the pearlite content in the matrix.     

Acrylic nonaqueous dispersion using butylated melamine-formaldehyde resin as dispersant

A series of acrylic nonaqueous dispersions were prepared by using various kinds of butylated melamine–formaldehyde (BMF) resins as dispersant. The functional group composition of BMF to form stable dispersion was butoxy group more than 13 mol/BMF 1 mol, and methylol group ranged from 1 to 2.5 mol/BMF 1 mol. It is concluded that the anchoring of BMF to acrylic copolymer was due to the formation of covalent bond between methylol group in BMF and hydroxy group in acrylic copolymer.     

D.s.c. investigation of the states of water in poly(vinyl alcohol-co-itaconic acid) membranes

The state of water in water-swollen poly(vinyl alcohol-co-itaconic acid) membranes, having various water contents from 0.31 to 0.83, was investigated by d.s.c. measurements and compared with those in water-swollen poly(vinyl alcohol) membranes. The amount of freezing water in the membranes was estimated by use of a relationship between the phase transition temperature and the enthalpy of the crystallization of supercooled water. The melting temperature of the water in the membranes immersed in urea and NaCl 0–2 mol l^?1 aqueous solutions was also determined by d.s.c. analysis. The present study proposes a method for estimating the solubilities of urea and NaCl in both of the freezing and the non-freezing water using the melting point depression of the freezing water in the membranes immersed in the solute solution.     

Particle velocity and solids circulation rate in a jet-spouted bed

Radial distribution of particle velocities, solids circulation rate and radial variation in bed voidage in a jet-spouted bed were investigated in a 0.2 m diameter conical-cylindrical column. The upward particle velocity is strongly dependent on gas velocity and its radial profile is the Gaussian. The solids circulation rates are of the same order of magnitude as those in a conventional spouted bed and are proportional to the gas velocity. Estimation of the variation in bed voidage in the radial direction revealed that the annulus voidage of about 0.90 was greater than the spout voidage of around 0.70. This tendency is contrary to that in a conventional spouted bed.     

Influence of reaction temperature on direct esterifications in a continuous recycling process between terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol

Simulations were carried out with a continuous recycle esterification model for the terephthalic acid–ethylene glycol (TPA–EG) system proposed previously. The influence of reaction temperatures, recycle ratios, and residence times on the oligomer characteristics was examined and the following results were obtained: (1) The main reactions proceed more under higher reaction temperatures, but the side reactions on diethylene glycol (DEG) proceed further than do the main reactions. (2) The higher residence time ratio of the first reactor to the total results in the proceeding of esterifications, which becomes remarkable as the temperature becomes high. (3) As the recycle ratio becomes high, the esterfications proceed, but in the very high degree of esterification, the tendency is reversed. (4) The characteristics of oligomer are almost the same at the same degree of esterification, independent of the reaction conditions. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.