Subkilohertz fluctuations and mode hopping in high-powergrating-stabilized 980-nm pumps

The behavior of fiber Bragg grating (FBG)-stabilized 980-nm pump lasers is experimentally and theoretically investigated. The subkilohertz noise in the emitted power is related to the coexistence and oscillation between coherence collapsed state and narrow linewidth single-mode (SM) operation. These findings are theoretically discussed by using a multimode time-domain model that accounts for spatial harmonics and includes nonlinear gain. One additional result is an indication that kinks in the L-I curve can be explained by nonlinear mode competition     

Temperature-induced phase change in a fat. A study by electron spin resonance

Electron Spin Resonance, Differential Scanning Calorimetry and rheological techniques have been used to study the physical changes induced by temperature in lard and in the solid and liquid fractions obtained by fractionation of lard at 15 C. The mobilization process of a C18 fatty acid nitroxide derivative dispersed in the molten fat has been observed in the temperature range −50 to +70 C. The mobilization of the probe seemed to be concomitant with the melting of the low melting point glycerides. Above this temperature, all the probes were in the liquid phase and their mobility reflected the viscosity of their liquid environment, or the viscosity of the bulk fat when crystal was no longer present. Probe mobility was temperature dependent, and it was identical for the three fats at the same temperature, despite their different triglyceride compositions.     

On the effects of very low levels of long chain branching on rheological behavior in polyethylene

A comparison is made of the effects of very low levels of long chain branching (less than 0.1 branch per 1000 CH₂) on the rheological behavior of polyethylene for samples, in which the branching has been introduced by means of peroxide decomposition or thermal-mechanical degradation. Both the activation energy and viscosity at low rates are shown to increase considerably more rapidly with branching level for samples containing branching formed from peroxide decomposition than for samples containing branching formed as a result of thermal or mechanical degradation. A model, which is based on parameters obtained for highly branched low density polyethylene and experimental molecular structure measurements, is shown to adequately account for the flow curves of samples containing branching introduced by thermal or mechanical degradation. Poor agreement of the model with experimental flow curves for peroxide branched samples is obtained, presumably because of the inability of the low density polyethylene parameters to adequately describe the flow properties of these samples, which are thought to contain tetrafunctional branch points. The good agreement between theoretical models, predicting relationships between activation energy and branching level, and experimental data is taken as lending further credence to the idea that the large variations seen in the rheological behavior with branching concentration at low branching levels are due to changes in the relative proportion of discrete branched and linear species with branching level. In accord with experimental results, a maximum in low rate viscosity with branching level is predicted. The maximum is predicted at approximately 0.25 branches/1000 CH₂.     

The design of robots and intelligent manipulators using modern composite materials

The operating speed and endpoint positional accuracy of existing industrial manipulators are limited by the inertial and stiffness characteristics of the articulating members of the robot's mechanical linkage. This limitation may be overcome by developing members having high structural stiffness and strength with low mass, and this has been recognized for some time. These characteristics can be obtained by fabricating the moving members of manipulators in fiber reinforced composite materials. In order to establish a basis for the dynamic analysis of robots fabricated in viscoelastic composites, a variational theorem is developed herein. A preliminary comparative study is then undertaken for manipulators manufactured in a graphite-epoxy composite material and also steel in order to demonstrate some of the advantages to be accrued from this proposed new design philosophy.     

Cyclic variations in the permeability of the cell wall of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

To study cell-cycle-related variations in wall permeability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, two approaches were used. First, an asynchronous culture was fractionated by centrifugal elutriation into subpopulations containing cells of increasing size. The subpopulations represented different stages of the cell cycle as judged by light microscopy. Cell wall porosity increased when these subpopulations became enriched with budded cells. Secondly, synchronous cultures were obtained by releasing MATa cells from alpha-factor induced G1-arrest. These cultures grew synchronously for at least two generations. The cell wall porosity increased sharply in these cultures, shortly before buds became visible and was maximal during the initial stages of bud growth. It decreased in cells which had completed nuclear migration and before abscission of the bud had occurred. The porosity reached its lowest value during abscission and in unbudded cells. We examined the incorporation of mannoproteins into the wall during the cell cycle. SDS-extractable mannoproteins were incorporated continuously. However, the incorporation of glucanase-extractable mannoproteins, which are known to affect cell wall porosity, showed cyclic oscillations and reached its maximum after nuclear migration. This coincided with a rapid decrease in cell wall porosity, indicating that glucanase-extractable mannoproteins might contribute to this decrease.     

Vinyl acetate monomer—a pilot plant study

The kinetics of the reaction of acetic acid and acetylene over zinc acetate-activated carbon catalyst was investigated over a wide range of process variables in a pilot reactor. Although various catalytic reaction mechanisms were postulated, the rate of reaction was most satisfactorily correlated by a mechanism of surface reaction between charged adsorbed acetic acid and acetylene, which assumes that the rate controlling step was the irreversible charged adsorption of acetylene and acetic acid.     

Synthesis and characterisation of a submicrometre silicon carbide powder

A beta-silicon carbide powder with a surface area of 30m²g^?l and a mean particle size of < 1μm was produced from the thermal conversion of silicon resin in an atmosphere of hydrogen. The amount of product increased with increasing iron content (0–2.1 wt%) and firing temperature (1200–1500°C). Chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction and i.r. absorption spectrometry were used to follow the conversion reaction.