Analysis method of the angiotensin-I converting enzyme inhibitory activity based on micellar electrokinetic chromatography.

A micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) method was developed for estimating the angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity by separating the hippuric acid liberated in the ACE reaction mixture in the presence of an inhibitor, captopril. The hippuric acid was successfully separated and detected by MEKC with a 25 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate solution in a 25 mM phosphate-50 mM borate buffer at pH 7.0; the total analysis took about 5 min. A good linear relationship was observed between the inhibitor and the peak area of hippuric acid release. No significant difference in the ACE inhibitory activity (IC50) of captopril (an antihypertensive medicine) or autolyzed-mushrooms (functional foods) was observed between the conventional method and the MEKC method. The MEKC method was found to be a useful technique for a rapid assay of the ACE inhibitory activity.     

Carbide precipitates in solution-quenched PH13-8 Mo stainless steel: A small-angle neutron scattering investigation

This paper deals with the small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) investigation on solution-quenched PH13-8 Mo stainless steel. From the nature of the variation of the functionality of the profiles for varying specimen thickness and also from the transmission electron microscopy (TEM), it has been established that the small-angle scattering signal predominantly originates from the block-like metallic carbide precipitates in the specimen. The contribution due to double Bragg reflection is not significant in the present case. The single scattering profile has been extracted from the experimental profiles corresponding to different values of specimen thickness. In order to avoid complexity and non-uniqueness of the multi-parameter minimization for randomly oriented polydisperse block-like precipitate model, the data have been analyzed assuming randomly oriented polydisperse cylindrical particle model with a locked aspect ratio.     

A novel discrete control strategy for independent stabilization of parallel three-phase boost converters by combining space-vector modulation with variable-structure control

We propose a discrete nonlinear controller, developed in a synchronous frame, for a parallel three-phase boost converter consisting of two modules. The basic idea, however, can be extended to a system with N modules. Each of the closed-loop power-converter modules operates asynchronously without any communication with the other modules. The controller stabilizes the currents on the dq-axes and limits the flow of the pure-zero sequence current. It combines the space-vector modulation scheme with a variable-structure control, thereby keeping the switching frequency constant and achieving satisfactory dynamic performance.     

Coprocessor design for multilayer surface-mounted PCB routing

The authors present the issues involved in the design of a special-purpose processing array system, called HAM, which accelerates computationally intensive wire routing tasks. It is especially suited for double-sided surface-mounted boards, which require complex three-dimensional search operations over multiple wiring planes. The novel features of the design include a hexagonal interconnection scheme to improve workload distributions during multilayer concurrent search operations and the VLSI custom design of the processors. Particular emphasis has been placed on the demands of maze routing. A cell-address propagation scheme, which is quite different from the traditional grid-coordinate approach, is discussed. It provides rapid lookup of pertinent routing information and can be extended to any distributed memory multiprocessor system. A global pipelining scheme of cell updates and expands is discussed. Experimental results are presented relating the speedup to various criteria for two different modes of parallel wave propagation     

Formation of bamboo-shaped carbon nanotubes on carbon black in a fluidized bed

For the first time, bamboo-shaped multiwalled carbon nanotubes, having diameter of the order of 50 nm, have been grown on carbon black in a fluidized bed in bulk amount. The activation energy for the synthesis of the product was found out to be around 33 kJ/mol in the temperature range of 700−900 °C. The carbon nanotubes were separated from the carbon black by preferential oxidation of the later, the temperature of which was determined by thermogravimetry. The transmission electron microscopy revealed different features of the nanotubes such as “Y” junction, bend, and catalyst filling inside the nanotubes. Small angle neutron scattering was performed on the nanotubes synthesized at different temperatures. The data were fitted into a suitable model in order to find out the average diameter, which decreases with increase in synthesis temperature. The Monte Carlo simulation predicts the same behavior. Based on the above observations, a possible growth mechanism has been predicted. The oscillation in carbon saturation value inside the catalyst in the fluidized bed has been indicated as the responsible factor for the bamboo-shaped structure.     

Novel pattern forming process due to the coupling of convection and phase change

We present a novel mechanism of pattern formation behind a flat interface during directional solidification of peritectic alloys. It is shown through computational modeling that irregular oscillatory thermosolutal convection can develop in the vertical Bridgman system, even with bottom seeding and bottom cooling. The coupling of the flow oscillation near the interface with solidification leads to ordered layered structures in the solidified crystal, which agree closely with earlier experimental results.     

Circuit behavior modeling and compact testing performanceevaluation

A realistic modeling of circuit output error patterns with random test inputs is suggested. The model can be used as the basis for accurate evaluation of the probability of aliasing in compact testing. For several example compression techniques, the following aspects are investigated: identification of the error patterns that cause aliasing; asymptotic effectiveness analysis; and comparative simulation study with a limited number of random test vectors applied     

Experimental validation of crosstalk simulations for on-chip interconnects using S-parameters

Since the design of advanced microprocessors is based on simulation tools, accurate assessments of the amount of crosstalk noise are of paramount importance to avoid logic failures and less-than-optimal designs. With increasing clock frequencies, inductive effects become more important, and the validity of assumptions commonly used in simulation tools and approaches is unclear. We compared accurate experimental S-parameters with results derived from both magneto-quasi-static and full-wave simulation tools for simple crosstalk structures with various capacitive and inductive couplings, in the presence of parallel and orthogonal conductors. Our validation approach made possible the identification of the strengths and weaknesses of both tools as a function of frequency, which provides useful guidance to designers who have to balance the tradeoffs between accuracy and computation expenses for a large variety of cases