DEVELOPMENT OF CURLING BRUSH FOR MEASURING FORCE EXERTED DURING SWEEPING

The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of the forces exerted on the curling brush devised with strain gauges and angular velocity sensors. Force data obtained from the devised brush were compared with data obtained from the force plates. Mean values of the vertical forces during the sweeping were 185 N for the brush and 187 N for the force plates, respectively, and there were no significant differences between them. The horizontal forces were 38 N for the brush and 37 N for the force plate, respectively, and there were no differences between them. There were significant correlations (

ANALYSING ROLES OF POSITION IN CURLING BASED ON SHOTSCORES

This paper reports on the analysis of the characteristics for each position based on shot-scores in curling. We computed average shot-scores for each position from 26 curling game information, and analyzed the correlation between the differences in average shot-scores and the differences in final game scores. The results show that strong correlations appeared for the position of the lead and the fourth, and weak correlations for the second and the third. It indicates that the roles of the lead and the fourth relate to game score directly, but the roles of the second and the third relate to the game progress. We were able to confirm the relationship between the score and each position of the target team

MEASUREMENT OF FORCES EXERTED DURING SWEEPING IN CURLING

INTRODUCTION: Sweeping is performed to correct the speed or the trajectory of the stone thrown in the game of curling. Curlers are asked to sweep the ice in front of the sliding stone strongly. Therefore we attempted to develop a simple device for measuring the forces exerted on the brush during the sweeping. The present study compared the forces exerted on the brush with the ground reaction forces during the sweeping

Itinerant Ferromagnetism in layered crystals LaCoOX (X = P, As)

The electronic and magnetic properties of cobalt-based layered oxypnictides, LaCoOX (X = P, As), are investigated. LaCoOP and LaCoOAs show metallic type conduction, and the Fermi edge is observed by hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Ferromagnetic transitions occur at 43 K for LaCoOP and 66 K for LaCoOAs. Above the transition temperatures, temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility follows the Curie-Weiss law. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) is observed at the Co L2,3-edge, but not at the other edges. The calculated electronic structure shows a spin polarized ground state. These results indicate that LaCoOX are itinerant ferromagnets and suggest that their magnetic properties are governed by spin fluctuation.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, Physical Review B, in press. Received 17 February 2008. Accepted 29 May 200

The utility of three-dimensional dynamic contrast-enhanced

Aneurysmal bone cysts (ABCs) are classified as bone-related lesions based on the 2005 World Health Organization histological classification of odontogenic tumors. Most ABCs are diagnosed using a combination of conventional radiography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and digital subtraction angiography. ABCs should be differentiated from true cysts or other pseudocysts because their treatment is different. Additionally, unlike other cysts, ABCs pose a hemorrhagic risk in surgery; thus, preoperative evaluation of intralesional blood flow is required. Here we report a case of a mandibular ABC in a 39-year-old woman and focus on its dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) features. On DCE-MRI, the lesion was divided into two areas according to the enhancement pattern: the blood-pooling and blood-flow areas. The series of DCE-MR images of the blood-pooling area showed marked enhancement of the margin, but no enhancement in the inner part of the cavity. Additionally, the time-signal intensity curve (TIC) demonstrated no change in the signal intensity (SI) until approximately 15 min after gadolinium-diethylenetriamine penta-acetic acid (Gd-DTPA) administration. In contrast, the series of DCE-MR images of the blood-flow area exhibited marked enhancement in the cyst cavity in the early phase. The TIC showed a rapid increase in SI in the early phase, followed by a rapid decrease until 150 s, and finally a gradual decrease until approximately 15 min after Gd-DTPA administration. Thus, in the current patient, preoperative DCE-MRI clearly delineated the vessel-rich area within the lesion

Seismic Analysis of Magnet Systems in Helical Fusion Reactors Designed With Topology Optimization

Superconducting magnets in fusion reactors are subjected to a huge electromagnetic force of >100 MN/m. The magnets have to be sustained with a strong-body structure to avoid high stress and deformation. The total weight of the magnet system in the fusion reactor is estimated to be more than 20,000 tons. We applied topology optimization technique to the magnet support structure to reduce the weight of fusion reactors. Compared with the conventional design, we achieved a weight reduction of >25%. Static and seismic analyses were carried out to validate the soundness of the topology-optimized design. Consequently, the stress against the electromagnetic force in the structure was within the permissible range. It was discovered that using seismic isolation structure can adequately prevent the damage to the magnet system even when directly subjected to a massive earthquake

NITA Coil—Innovation for Enlarging the Blanket Space in the Helical Fusion Reactor

An innovative idea is proposed for enlarging the blanket space on the inboard side of the torus for the helical fusion reactor FFHR-d1. A set of sub-helical coils, named NITA coils, with opposite-directed current outside the main helical coils, effectively reduces the helical pitch parameter and enlarges the blanket space. Dependence of the blanket space and plasma volume on the effective helical pitch parameter is examined. The obtained magnetic surfaces and their properties are compared with that of the original configuration

Design Window Analysis for the Helical DEMO Reactor FFHR-d1

Conceptual design activity for the LHD-type helical DEMO reactor FFHR-d1 has been conducted at the National Institute for Fusion Science under the Fusion Engineering Research Project since FY2010. In the first step of the conceptual design process, design window analysis was conducted using the system design code HELIOSCOPE by the “Design Integration Task Group”. On the basis of a parametric scan with the core plasma design based on the DPE (Direct Profile Extrapolation) method, a design point having a major radius of 15.6 m and averaged magnetic field strength at the helical coil winding center of 4.7 T was selected as a candidate. The validity of the design was confirmed through the analysis by the related task groups (in-vessel component, blanket, and superconducting magnet)