Numerical simulations of annular extrudate swell using various types of viscoelastic models

In this study, numerical simulations of annular extrudate swell of high density polyethylene (HDPE) were carried out. Some important viscoelastic models, such as the Larson, the PTT and the K-BKZ model, were employed for the swell calculation through various types of dies. These numerical results were compared with the experimental ones. The numerical results of the swell behaviors were very different in each viscoelastic model, while their simple shear flow characteristics were almost the same. As a result, the uniaxial elongational viscosity for large deformation as the steady state region is not important, but the property for relatively small deformation has remarkable effects on the numerical results for the die that have a uniaxial contraction region. Both reversible and irreversible types were tried for the Larson model. It was found that there was a difference between the irreversibility assumption of the K-BKZ model and the Larson model. While there was a serious difference in the response for reversing strain among these viscoelastic models, the response was very important to predict annular extudate swell behavior.     

Minor actinides incineration by loading moderated targets in fast reactor

The effect of contained hydrogen and loaded mass of minor actinides (MAs) in the target on the core performance and MAs transmutation characteristic was analyzed. An optimum core was proposed which has MAs pin cells per assembly of 38 with the composition ratio U/MA/Zr/H of 1/4/10/50. This optimum core can offer good core characteristics and transmute MAs very effectively by about 67% (93kg) and incinerate (transmute by fission) MAs by about 35% (489kg) through 3 years of reactor operation. It is about 2–3 times larger than the current transmutation method which loads MAs homogeneously in the PWR and FR.     

Sp7 Transgenic Mice with a Markedly Impaired Lacunocanalicular Network Induced Sost and Reduced Bone Mass by Unloading

The relationship of lacunocanalicular network structure and mechanoresponse has not been well studied. The lacunocanalicular structures differed in the compression and tension sides, in the regions, and in genders in wild-type femoral cortical bone. The overexpression of Sp7 in osteoblasts resulted in thin and porous cortical bone with increased osteoclasts and apoptotic osteocytes, and the number of canaliculi was half of that in the wild-type mice, leading to a markedly impaired lacunocanalicular network. To investigate the response to unloading, we performed tail suspension. Unloading reduced trabecular and cortical bone in the Sp7 transgenic mice due to reduced bone formation. Sost-positive osteocytes increased by unloading on the compression side, but not on the tension side of cortical bone in the wild-type femurs. However, these differential responses were lost in the Sp7 transgenic femurs. Serum Sost increased in the Sp7 transgenic mice, but not in the wild-type mice. Unloading reduced the Col1a1 and Bglap/Bglap2 expression in the Sp7 transgenic mice but not the wild-type mice. Thus, Sp7 transgenic mice with the impaired lacunocanalicular network induced Sost expression by unloading but lost the differential regulation in the compression and tension sides, and the mice failed to restore bone formation during unloading, implicating the relationship of lacunocanalicular network structure and the regulation of bone formation in mechanoresponse.     

Capacitor current imbalance and its suppression method between phase legs for three‐phase inverter

This paper proposes a method to suppress the capacitor current imbalance between the phase legs of a three‐phase inverter circuit. This circuit consists of half‐bridge modules and DC‐link capacitors closely connected to each module. It can be designed for low stray inductance between power semiconductor devices and DC‐link capacitors in each module. However, in the conventional structure, the stray inductance between the phase legs may lead to an imbalance in the capacitor current due to the DC‐side resonance phenomenon under a higher switching frequency condition by using a SiC MOSFET. This paper presents the analyses of the equivalent circuit considering the circuit configuration, which suggests that capacitor current imbalance occurs depending on the stray inductance between phase legs. To suppress the capacitor current imbalance, a delta‐type bus bar connecting phase legs is proposed. The experiment results at 300 V and 4.6 A demonstrate the suppression effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Effects of pulse-dose ruminal infusion of butyrate on plasma glucagon-like peptide 1 and 2 concentrations in dairy calves

Feeding of butyrate was found to have a positive effects in enhancing gut development and improving growth performance of calves. Equally, glucagon-like peptide 1 and 2 (GLP-1 and GLP-2), secreted from gastrointestinal L-cells in response to nutrient intake, were found to play a significant role in regulating blood glucose homeostasis and improving gut health. However, limited information is available about the relationship between butyrate and release of GLP-1 and GLP-2 in dairy calves. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a pulse-dose ruminal infusion of butyrate on plasma GLP-1 and GLP-2 concentrations in dairy calves. Five ruminally cannulated mature Holstein bull calves (7.2 ± 0.10 mo, and 330 ± 16.0 kg of body weight; mean ± standard deviation) were used in a 5 × 5 Latin square with 4-d periods. On d 1 of each period at 0800 h, calves were ruminally infused with 1 of 5 treatments: 0 (saline), 0.3, 0.6, 0.9, and 1.2 g of butyrate per kg of body weight. Before butyrate infusion, calves were not offered feed overnight, and sequential blood and rumen fluid samples were taken before and after infusion on d 1 of each period. Ruminal butyrate and total volatile fatty acid concentrations increased linearly (2.65, 12.19, 20.99, 30.19, and 36.30; 23.68, 33.07, 40.94, 51.13, and 56.31 µmol/mL, for butyrate and total volatile fatty acids, respectively) in a dose-dependent manner, whereas propionate and isobutyrate increased quadratically. Ruminal and plasma butyrate, β-hydroxybutyrate, GLP-1, GLP-2, insulin, and glucose concentrations were all affected by treatment, time (except GLP-2), and interaction of treatment with time (except GLP-1). The area under the curve (AUC) summarized at different time points relative to the baseline (AUC30, AUC60, AUC120, and AUC240) for ruminal and plasma butyrate, and BHB, increased linearly with the dose of butyrate infused. However, AUC30, AUC60, AUC120, and AUC240 for plasma GLP-2 concentration were affected in a cubic manner unlike the linear effect on AUC30 and AUC60 for GLP-1. Plasma GLP-2 was not correlated with plasma butyrate (r = 0.16), GLP-1 (r = 0.03), or BHB (r = ?0.05). This findings suggest that pulse-dosing of butyrate slightly increased both GLP-1 and GLP-2 concentrations at specific time points and this might be promoted by direct or indirect effect of butyrate on the intestinal L-cells.     

Design of PG-Surfactants Bearing Polyacrylamide Polymer Chain to Solubilize Membrane Proteins in a Surfactant-Free Buffer

The development of techniques capable of using membrane proteins in a surfactant-free aqueous buffer is an attractive research area, and it should be elucidated for various membrane protein studies. To this end, we examined a method using new solubilization surfactants that do not detach from membrane protein surfaces once bound. The designed solubilization surfactants, DKDKC₁₂K-PA_n (n = 5, 7, and 18), consist of two parts: one is the lipopeptide-based solubilization surfactant part, DKDKC₁₂K, fand the other is the covalently connected linear polyacrylamide (PA) chain with different M_w values of 5, 7, or 18 kDa. Intermolecular interactions between the PA chains in DKDKC₁₂K-PA_n concentrated on the surfaces of membrane proteins via amphiphilic binding of the DKDKC₁₂K part to the integral membrane domain was observed. Therefore, DKDKC₁₂K-PA_n (n = 5, 7, and 18) could maintain a bound state even after removal of the unbound by ultrafiltration or gel-filtration chromatography. We used photosystem I (PSI) from Thermosynecoccus vulcanus as a representative to assess the impacts of new surfactants on the solubilized membrane protein structure and functions. Based on the maintenance of unique photophysical properties of PSI, we evaluated the ability of DKDKC₁₂K-PA_n (n = 5, 7, and 18) as a new solubilization surfactant.     

Effects of virtual resistor in power electronic converter on subsynchronous oscillation damping

Virtual impedance concept provides the impedance effects without need to put real physically impedance in the circuit. In power system, oscillation will not occur as long as the impedance seen by turbine‐generator set is ‘passive’. In order to ensure the impedance is seen as ‘passive’ by the turbine‐generator set, a series resistor can be placed in the system. This paper proposes implementation of virtual resistor concept in grid connected power electronic converter to replaced the aforementioned series resistor, then analyze its impact on subsynchronous oscillation phenomena. It can be shown that virtual resistor can improve the negative region of converter input admittance. Moreover, it also gives us better damping in system involving grid connected inverter. © 2011 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Strain mode of general flow: Characterization and implications for flow pattern structures

Understanding the mixing capability of mixing devices based on their geometric shape is an important issue both for predicting mixing processes and for designing new mixers. The flow patterns in mixers are directly connected with the modes of the local strain rate, which is generally a combination of elongational flow and planar shear flow. We develop a measure to characterize the modes of the strain rate for general flow occurring in mixers. The spatial distribution of the volumetric strain rate (or non‐planar strain rate) in connection with the flow pattern plays an essential role in understanding distributive mixing. With our measure, flows with different types of screw elements in a twin‐screw extruder are numerically analyzed. The difference in flow pattern structure between conveying screws and kneading disks is successfully characterized by the distribution of the volumetric strain rate. The results suggest that the distribution of the strain rate mode offers an essential and convenient way for characterization of the relation between flow pattern structure and the mixer geometry. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 2563–2569, 2016     

Wind velocity and rotor position sensorless maximum power point tracking control for wind generation system

In order to perform maximum power point tracking control of wind generation system, it is necessary to drive windmill at an optimal rotor speed. For that purpose, a rotor position and a wind velocity sensors become indispensable. However, from the aspect of reliability and increase in cost, rotor position sensor and wind velocity sensor are not usually preferred. Hence, wind velocity and position sensorless operating method for wind generation system using observer is proposed in this paper. Moreover, improving the efficiency of the permanent magnet synchronous generator is also performed by optimizing d-axis current using the Powell method.     

Estimated impedance islanding detection method for grids with high motor penetration

In the dispersed generation (DG) field, islanding is known as a situation in which those generators are disconnected from the utility feeders and a bunch of local loads being powered by them is isolated. Accordingly, anti‐islanding schemes are used to immediately detect the phenomenon in facilitating the detachment of the DG or adaptively controlling the autonomous operation. Negative‐sequence impedance measurement is considered as a novel method of detecting electrical islands in DG networks. However, in the case of high induction motor penetration, this method might malfunction. Using two‐round impedance measurement, this paper deals with that problem while making typical assessments on how the impedance tolerance values are selected and how these values vary with network configuration. The simulation in PSCAD/EMTDC and experiments validate the methodology. © 2013 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.