AC Drive System for Tension Reel Control

Recently, adjustable-speed ac drive systems have been employed successfully for blowers, pumps, table rollers, etc., in steel plants instead of the more conventional dc drives. In processing lines many drives require speed and tension control. To confirm the suitability of an ac drive for tension control, the tension reel of an existing pilot processing line has been equipped with an adjustable-speed ac drive. An ac drive system for tension reel control, its characteristics, and performance are described and compared with a dc tension control.     

GRAPES-3—A high-density air shower array for studies on the structure in the cosmic-ray energy spectrum near the knee

The change in the spectral index from about -2.7 to -3.1 at 3×10¹⁵ eV in the all-particle energy spectrum of primary cosmic rays is very significant for learning about the nature of cosmic sources of ultra-high energy particles and their acceleration and propagation in the galactic disk. Any observation of a fine structure in the spectrum would be important for improving our understanding of these physical processes. The GRAPES-3 air shower array has been designed to achieve higher precision in determination of various shower parameters to enable observation of any fine structure in the energy spectrum, if it exists. The details of the shower detectors, shower trigger and the data acquisition system are presented here along with estimates of trigger efficiencies from Monte Carlo simulations for primary photons (γ-rays) and several nuclei.     

Facilitated transport of ethyl docosahexaenoate through solution-cast perfluorosulfonated ionomer membranes

The facilitated transport of ethyl docosahexaenoate (DHA-Et) through the thin solution-cast perfluorosulfonated ionomer membranes has been studied. The carrier of DHA-Et was silver ion and was immobilized in the support ionomer membrane by electrostatic forces. In this system, the feed phase, membrane phase, and receiving phase had the same solvent. This system was already proved to be highly stable in our previous work. When ethanol/water (85/15) was used as the solvent, the DHA-Et permeance in the cast membrane was about four times higher than that in the commercial Nafion® 117 membrane, due to the smaller membrane thickness. In the case of acetone solvent, a high selectivity of DHA-Et to ethyl oleate of 42 and a high facilitation factor of 153 were obtained. These membrane performances were superior to those of the Nafion® 117 membrane. The effects of membrane preparation conditions, such as annealing temperature and kinds of polar solvents added to the ionomer solution before annealing, on the membrane performance was investigated in detail. Furthermore, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurement was carried out to study the membrane structure. The experimental result suggests higher crystallinity in the cast membrane annealed at higher temperature. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 73: 961–968, 1999     

Membrane formation via phase separation induced by penetration of nonsolvent from vapor phase. I. Phase diagram and mass transfer process

The isothermal phase diagram for poly(vinylidene fluoride)/dimethyl formamide/water system was derived. The binodal and spinodal were calculated based on the Flory–Huggins theory and the calculated binodal was approximately in agreement with the experimental data of the cloud points. The isothermal crystallization line was also obtained according to the theory of melting point depression. Mass transfer of the three components during membrane formation by the precipitation from the vapor phase has been analyzed. During this process, phase separation of the polymer solution is induced by the penetration of water vapor in the solution. The calculated result on the changes of the cast film weights indicated the good agreement with the experimental data. The time‐course of the polymer concentration profile in the film was calculated for various cases of different humidity of the vapor phase and different initial polymer concentration. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 159–170, 1999     

Unusual periodicity of sex pheromone production in the large black chaferHolotrichia parallela

(R)-(–)-Linalool was identified as a minor component sex pheromone of the scarab beetleHolotrichia parallela (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Field evaluations revealed that, although not attractive per se, (R)-(–)-linalool enhances the attractiveness of the major sex pheromone,L-isoleucine methyl ester (LIME). Analyses of the pheromone titers in the glands of field-collected females demonstrated the occurrence of peak levels of 48-hr (circabidian) periodicity. The levels of LIME in the glands of 45-day-old virgin females increased over three times from the scototo the photophase of a calling day, but the amounts of (R)-(–)-linalool did not significantly change. Virgin females had in average two times more LIME and 3.6 times more (R)-(–)-linalool than the average amount found in the field-captured beetles throughout the season.     

Sex Pheromones of Two Melittini Species, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Macroscelesia Japona</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">M. Longipes</Emphasis>: Identification and Field Attraction

Two Melittini species, Macroscelesia japona and M. longipes (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae), are native to Japan, but occupy different localities as their host plants seldom grow together. The contents of the sex pheromone gland of adult females of both species, obtained after rearing larvae collected from the field, were investigated by gas chromatograph-electroantennogram detection (GC-EAD) and gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses. Two GC-EAD-active components were found in a crude extract of M. japona female pheromone gland, and identified as (2E,13Z)-2,13-octadecadien-1-ol (E2,Z13-18:OH) and (2E,13Z)-2,13-octadecadienal (E2,Z13-18:Ald). The average ratio of these two components was about 1:10. In the field, M. japona males were attracted to traps baited with E2,Z13-18:Ald alone, but the strongest attraction was observed with a 1:100 mixture of E2,Z13-18:OH and E2,Z13-18:Ald. The same two components were found in extracts of M. longipes females, but in a markedly different ratio. Male M. longipes were attracted most strongly to lures containing a 20:1 mixture of E2,Z13-18:OH and E2,Z13-18:Ald, although some males were also attracted to lures with E2,Z13-18:OH alone. Although the two species do not generally occur in sympatry, our data indicate that, in the event of overlap, cross attraction of the two species is unlikely.     

Sesame seed and its lignans produce marked enhancement of vitamin E activity in rats fed a low α-tocopherol diet

Three series of experiments demonstrated that sesame seed and its lignans cause significant elevation of α-tocopherol content in rats. In Experiment 1, 20% sesame seed (with a negligible amount of α-tocopherol) supplementing 10 (low), 50 (normal), or 250 (high) mg/kg α-tocopherol diets (protein and fat concentrations in diets were adjusted to 200 and 110 g/kg, respectively) all caused a significant increase of α-tocopherol in the blood and tissue of rats. In Experiment 2, groups of rats were fed five different diets: a vitamin E-free control diet, a low α-tocopherol diet, and three low α-tocopherol diets supplemented with 5, 10, and 15% sesame seed. Changes in lipid peroxides in liver, red blood cell hemolysis, and pyruvate kinase activity, as indices of vitamin E deficiency, were examined. These indices were high in the low α-tocopherol diet, whereas supplementation with even 5% sesame seed suppressed these indices completely and caused a significant increase of α-tocopherol content in the plasma and liver. In Experiment 3 two diets containing sesame lignan (sesaminol or sesamin) and low α-tocopherol were tested. Results in both of the sesame lignan-fed groups were comparable to those observed in the sesame seed-fed groups as shown in Experiment 2. These experiments indicate that sesame seed lignans enhance vitamin E activity in rats fed a low α-tocopherol diet and cause a marked increase in α-tocopherol concentration in the blood and tissue of rats fed an α-tocopherol-containing diet with sesame seed or its lignans.     

Effect of diluent on poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl alcohol) hollow‐fiber membrane formation via thermally induced phase separation

Poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl alcohol) hollow‐fiber membranes with a 44 mol % ethylene content were prepared by thermally induced phase separation. A mixture of 1,3‐propanediol and glycerol was used as the diluent. The effects of the ratio of 1,3‐propanediol to glycerol in the diluent mixture on the phase diagram, membrane structure, and membrane performance were investigated. As the ratio increased, the cloud point shifted to lower temperatures, and the membrane structure changed from a cellular structure due to liquid–liquid phase separation to a particulate structure due to polymer crystallization. Better pore connectivity was obtained in the hollow‐fiber membrane when the ratio of 1,3‐propanediol to glycerol was 50:50, and the membrane showed about 100 times higher water permeability than the membrane prepared with pure glycerol. For the prepared hollow‐fiber membrane, the solute 20 nm in diameter was almost rejected. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 95: 219–225, 2005