Investigation of Be diffusion in InGaAs using Kick-out mechanism

Be diffusion during post-growth annealing has been investigated in InGaAs epitaxial layers. Kick-out mechanisms considering species charges, build-in electric field and Fermi-level effect have been studied. Several forms of Kick-out mechanism have been implemented in our simulation programs. Experimental concentration profiles obtained by SIMS have been compared systematically with the results of simulations. We have deduced that the Kick-out mechanism Be_i⁰ Be⁻ + I_III⁺ is the dominating diffusion mechanism in InGaAs under our experimental conditions (C₀ = 3 × 10¹⁹ cm⁻³).     

Validated design of dynamic membership services and protocols for cooperative groups

This paper first presents a groupware service and an associated protocol that manage the dynamic membership of agents inside cooperative groups and second gives the design methodology that has been used for defining the service and the protocol. The model used to represent cooperative groups is based on graphs that give the knowledge relationships between agents and define the dynamics of the group. The protocol providing the membership service is specified using the VAL formal specification environment based on a Petri net formalism. The VAL specification is verified using observational and safety projections derived from the reachability graph. Then the VAL specification is translated and adapted to an Estelle specification. The Estelle specification has been used for a final implementation of the protocol on top of a distributed platform.     

Optimal control law for classical and multiconjugate adaptive optics

Classical adaptive optics (AO) is now a widespread technique for high-resolution imaging with astronomical ground-based telescopes. It generally uses simple and efficient control algorithms. Multiconjugate adaptive optics (MCAO) is a more recent and very promising technique that should extend the corrected field of view. This technique has not yet been experimentally validated, but simulations already show its high potential. The importance for MCAO of an optimal reconstruction using turbulence spatial statistics has already been demonstrated through open-loop simulations. We propose an optimal closed-loop control law that accounts for both spatial and temporal statistics. The prior information on the turbulence, as well as on the wave-front sensing noise, is expressed in a state-space model. The optimal phase estimation is then given by a Kalman filter. The equations describing the system are given and the underlying assumptions explained. The control law is then derived. The gain brought by this approach is demonstrated through MCAO numerical simulations representative of astronomical observation on a 8-m-class telescope in the near infrared. We also discuss the application of this control approach to classical AO. Even in classical AO, the technique could be relevant especially for future extreme AO systems.     

Sliding mode closed-loop control of FES: controlling the shank movement

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) enables restoration of movement in individuals with spinal cord injury. FES-based devices use electric current pulses to stimulate and excite the intact peripheral nerves. They produce muscle contractions, generate joint torques, and thus, joint movements. Since the underlying neuromuscular-skeletal system is highly nonlinear and time-varying, feedback control is necessary for accurate control of the generated movement. However, classical feedback/closed-loop control algorithms have so far failed to provide satisfactory performance and were not able to guarantee stability of the closed-loop system. Because of this, only open-loop controlled FES devices are in clinical use in spite of their limitations. The purpose of the reported research was to design a novel closed-loop FES controller that achieves good tracking performance and guarantees closed-loop stability. Such a controller was designed based on a mathematical neuromuscular-skeletal model and is founded on a sliding mode control theory. The controller was used to control shank movement and was tested in computer simulations as well as in actual experiments on healthy and spinal cord injured subjects. It demonstrated good robustness, stability, and tracking performance properties.     

Analysis of direct solar ultraviolet irradiance measurements in the French Alps. Retrieval of turbidity and ozone column amount

Direct ultraviolet spectral solar irradiance is regularly obtained by the difference between global and diffuse irradiances at the French Alpine station of Brian?on; the data of years 2001 and 2002 are analyzed in this paper. Comparison with modeled values is used for cloud screening, and an average UV-A aerosol optical depth is used as an index of turbidity; it is found to be around 0.05 for the clear winter days and around 0.2 in summer. Langley plots are used to verify the instrument calibration; they confirm the expected uncertainty smaller than 5%. The ozone total column amount is estimated with an uncertainty between -3 and Dobson units; comparisons with TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) overpass values shows agreement within the expected uncertainties of both instruments.     

Putative dynamics of vasopressin in its V1a receptor binding site

The molecular architecture of the GPCRs, including the dynamic set of interactions between the receptor and the ligand, is one of the key structural questions of biophysical approaches. In the present study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed on the well-validated molecular model of the vasopressin V1a receptor applying different parameters (i.e., force fields, time variation, use of constraints) in order to sample the conformational space of the endogenous ligand arginine vasopressin (AVP), to explore different putative binding modes, and to analyze the simulation results with respect to experimental data. Noteworthy, it is to mention that for the first time a model of the vasopressin receptor remained stable in a 500 ps MD simulation run under vacuo boundary conditions using the Kollman all-atom FF even though no constraints were imposed. Conclusively, we determined an optimized experimental procedure for studying the dynamics and structure-functionship of this highly important family of GPCRs: the use of MD simulations with the Kollman all-atom force-field parameters on a constrained receptor. Our simplified model may be used as a basis for structure based design of new GPCR ligands and for in silico screening of virtual combinatorial chemistry libraries.     

Effects of 1,4-Benzoxazin-3-One Derivatives from Maize on Survival and Fecundity of Metopolophium dirhodum (Walker) on Artificial Diet

Effects of 2--D-glucopyranosyloxy-4-hydroxy-7-methoxy-1,4benzoxazin-3-one (DIMBOA-Glc) and DIMBOA-Glc N-O-methylated (HDMBOA-Glc), two compounds present in high concentration in maize, were tested on the aphid Metopolophium dirhodum reared on artificial diet. HDMBOA-Glc and DIMBOA-Glc decrease survival of adults with an LD₅₀ of 1 mM and 5.6 mM, respectively, after 72 hr of feeding. These compounds also decrease the fecundity of the aphids at concentrations of 2 mM and 1 mM, respectively. At concentrations of 2 mM HDMBOA-Glc and 8 mM DIMBOA-Glc in the diet, the average lifetime fecundity of 10 females is near zero. Offspring mortality on diet with 2 mM DIMBOA-Glc is significantly higher than with the control diet. In contrast, HDMBOA-Glc has no effect on the survival of offspring. The possibility that these compounds protect Poaceae against aphids is discussed.     

非整数阶系统连续时间域的模拟

提出了一种致力于非整数阶系统连续时间域的模拟方法.这种特殊系统的仿真建立在有限频率区间非整数阶积分算子的基础上,其非整数阶作用仅限于有限频率区域.然后,可以定义非整数阶模型的状态方程实现,它允许近似理想非整数阶系统的连续时间响应.最后,通过两个数字仿真例子来验证这种模拟方法.     

升温速率对氧化铝粉末烧结行为的影响

采用不同的升温速率,在膨胀计中对脱脂后的氧化铝粉末射成形坯件进行一系列的烧结试验.结果表明,烧结致密化过程主要发生在升温阶段,快速升温有利于致密化的进行和抑止晶粒长大,但由于烧结时间较短和烧结炉最高温度的限制,产品的最终致密化程度不高.在低温时快速升温,高温时缓慢加热,可以获得较好的致密化效果和微观结构.试验和分析结果将为建立非等温烧结模型和烧结工艺参数的优化方法提供依据.