Estimation method for unobservable settling vibration of head-positioning control in hard disk drives

To improve reliability in hard disk drives, we proposed an estimation method for unobservable settling vibration in head-positioning control systems. Our proposed method uses both observability and excitability of mechanical vibrations in settling time of a track-seeking control. To see the observability, we employed the estimation method of unobservable amplitude of oscillations caused by mechanical resonances. To see the excitability, we also employed the Shock Response Spectrum (SRS) analysis that can handle the transient characteristics of mechanical vibrations. Simulations and experiments results on the track-seeking control showed that the results of our proposed method were good approximate solutions of the unobservable settling vibrations. This means that we can estimate the risk of the unobservable settling vibrations which may lead to destruction of user data in hard disk drives by using the proposed method. As a result, we can chose the best suited solution to avoid unobservable vibrations in the head-positioning control systems.     

Isolation and characterization of a soluble and thermostable phosphite dehydrogenase from Ralstonia sp. strain 4506

Phosphite dehydrogenase (PtxD), which catalyzes the nearly irreversible oxidation of phosphite to phosphate with the concomitant reduction of NAD(+) to NADH, has great potential for NADH regeneration in industrial biocatalysts. Here, we isolated a soil bacterium, Ralstonia sp. strain 4506, that grew at 45°C on a minimal medium containing phosphite as the sole source of phosphorus. A recombinant PtxD of Ralstonia sp. (PtxD(R4506)) appeared in the soluble fraction in Escherichia coli. The purified PtxD(R4506) showed 6.7-fold greater catalytic efficiency (V(max)/K(m)) than the first characterized PtxD of Pseudomonas stutzeri (PtxD(PS)). Moreover, the purified PtxD(R4506) showed maximum activity at 50°C, and its half-life of thermal inactivation at 45°C was 80.5h, which is approximately 3,450-fold greater than that of PtxD(PS). Therefore, we concluded that PtxD(R4506), which shows high catalytic efficiency, solubility, and thermostability, would be useful for NADH regeneration applications.     

Internal reforming characteristics of cermet supported solid oxide fuel cell using yttria stabilized zirconia fed with partially reformed methane

In order to investigate the internal reforming characteristics in a cermet supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) using YSZ as the electrolyte, the concentration profiles of the gaseous species along the gas flow direction in the anode were measured. Partially reformed methane using a pre-reformer kept at a constant temperature is supplied to the center of the cell which is operated with a seal-less structure at the gas outlet. The anode gas is sucked in via silica capillaries to the initially evacuated gas tanks. The process is simultaneously carried out using five sampling ports. The sampled gas is analyzed by a gas chromatograph. Most of the measurements are made at the cell temperature (T_cell) of 750 °C and at various temperatures of the pre-reformer (T_ref) with various fuel utilizations (U_f) of the cell. The composition of the fuel at the inlet of the anode was confirmed to be almost the same as that theoretically calculated assuming equilibrium at the temperature of the pre-reformer. The effect of internal reforming in the anode is clearly observed as a steady decrease in the methane concentration along the flow axis. The effect of the water-gas shift reaction is also observed as a decrease in the CO₂ concentration and an increase of CO concentration around the gas inlet region, as the water-gas shift reaction inversely proceeds when T_cell is higher than T_ref. The diffusion of nitrogen from the seal-less outermost edge is observed, and the diffusion is confirmed to be more significant as U_f decreases. The observations are compared with the results obtained by the SOFC supported by lanthanum gallate electrolyte. With respect to the internal reforming performance, the cell investigated here is found to be more effective when compared to the previously reported electrolyte supported cell.     

A novel flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) containing d-lactate dehydrogenase from the thermoacidophilic crenarchaeota Sulfolobus tokodaii strain 7: purification, characterization and expression in Escherichia coli

Dye-linked D-lactate dehydrogenase activity was found in the crude extract of a continental thermoacidophilic crenarchaeota, Sulfolobus tokodaii strain 7, and was purified 375-fold through four sequential chromatography steps. With a molecular mass of about 93 kDa, this enzyme was a homodimer comprised of identical subunits with molecular masses of about 48 kDa. The enzyme retained its full activity after incubation at 80 degrees C for 10 min and after incubation at pHs ranging from 6.5 to 10.0 for 30 min at 50 degrees C. The preferred substrate for this enzyme was D-lactate, with 2,6-dichloroindophenol serving as the electron acceptor. Using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the enzyme's prosthetic group was determined to be flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD). Its N-terminal amino acid sequence was MLEGIEYSQGEEREDFVGFKIKPKI. Using that sequence and previously reported genome information, the gene encoding the enzyme (ST0649) was identified. It was subsequently cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli and found to encode a polypeptide of 440 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 49,715. The amino acid sequence of this dye-linked D-lactate dehydrogenase showed higher homology (39% identity) with that of a glycolate oxidase subunit homologue from Archaeoglobus fulgidus, but less similarity (32% identity) to D-lactate dehydrogenase from A. fulgidus. Taken together, our findings indicate that the dye-linked D-lactate dehydrogenase from S. tokodaii is a novel type of FAD containing D-lactate dehydrogenase.     

Polymeric optical waveguide films for short-distance opticalinterconnects

We describe three different applications of polymeric waveguide films as short-distance optical interconnects. We fabricated the waveguide films, which were 6.5 cm long and mounted in MT-compatible (MTC) connectors by passive alignment, for MM fiber systems with a 50-μm diameter graded index (GI) core. The average insertion loss of these devices was approximately 0.6 dB at 0.85-μm wavelength. We also fabricated waveguide films with a 350 mirror and an MTC connector for use as 90° out-of-plane optical deflectors, and they exhibited an insertion loss of 1 dB. Two silica planar waveguides for single-mode (SM) fiber systems were also connected by a polymeric waveguide film. Low insertion losses were obtained in both MM and SM films designed to be employed as bending waveguides. This reveals their good potential for use as practical short-distance optical interconnects     

Viscoelastic properties and coating performance of acrylic copolymers crosslinked with melamine resin

For 8 carboxy and hydroxy functional acrylic copolymers crosslinked with melamine resin, glass transition temperature (T_g), molecular weight of chain segments between crosslinked point (M_c), and polymer-solvent interaction parameters (χ_g ) were determined by dynamic mechanical measurements and swelling measurements. T_g increases and M_c decreases with the increase of hydroxyl value and the molecular weight of acrylic copolymers. T_g decreases and M_c increases with the increase of alkyl chain length of acrylate in acrylic copolymers. The film hardness, T_g and polarity of methyl methacrylate (MMA) containing acrylic-melamine-cured films are higher than those of styrene-containing acrylic-melamine-cured films, but both films are almost the same in the degree of crosslinking (maximum loss tangent, tan δ_max, and M_c). T_g increases and M_c decreases with the increase of melamine resin content for acrylic-melamine coatings. The cured film consists of the acrylic-melamine segments and the melamine-melamine segments at crosslinking points. The carboxy group enhances the crosslinking reactions at low temperatures. All films crosslinked have single glass transition temperatures and broad damping peaks, which show good compatibility. The values of χ_g of acrylic copolymer-melamine films in polar and nonpolar solvents depend on the polarity of acrylic composition and the degree of crosslinking. χ_g values of carboxy functional acrylic-melamine film in any solvents are smaller than that of carboxy and hydroxy functional acrylic-melamine film. χ_g values of MMA-containing acrylic-melamine film in polar solvents are smaller than those of styrene-containing acrylic-melamine film, but χ_g values of MMA-containing acrylic-melamine film in nonpolar solvents are larger than those of styrene-containing acrylic-melamine film. χ_g values of acrylic-melamine film in polar and nonpolar solvents increase with the increase of alkyl chain length of acrylate. The χ_g values of acrylic-melamine coatings in toluene are less than 0.3 and smaller than those of alkyd coatings.     

Information transfer in a swarm of soldier crabs

Collective behavior is broadly observed in animal groups such as insect swarm, bird flock, and fish school. Both theoretical studies and field observations have investigated possible underlying principles based on local interaction among individuals in a group without global information via conductors or leaders. Information transferred among individuals would play a key role to understand it. In this study, to investigate how individual in a swarm uses information of its own past behavior or swarm mates’ behavior, we analyzed behavior of soldier crabs Mictyris guinotae in terms of local active information storage and local transfer entropy.