New actinide ternary intermetallic compounds: synthesis, characterization and physical properties

Twelve new ternary intermetallic compounds of light actinide elements from Th to Pu, namely U₄Tc₇Si₆, U₄Tc₇Ge₆, Np₄Ru₇Ge₆, U₂Tc₃Si₅, Np₂Re₃Si₅, Pu₂Re₃Si₅, Th₂Mo₃Si₄, U₂Mo₃Si₄, U₂Mo₃Ge₄, Np₂Mo₃Si₄, Np₂Mo₃Ge₄, and Pu₂Mo₃Si₄, were obtained. The structures of these compounds are discussed as well as some preliminary physical property studies. Magnetic susceptibility measurements show that An₂Mo₃(Si or Ge)₄ compounds are paramagnetic at all temperatures studied and that U₄Tc₇Si₆ orders antiferromagnetically around 25 K. Mössbauer spectroscopy on Np₄Ru₇Ge₆ does not show a magnetic splitting down to 4.2 K.     

Impact and penetration by L/D ≤ 1 projectiles

Calculations of steel target penetration by L/D ≤ 1 tungsten and tungsten alloy projectiles have been extended to L/D = 1/32 over the velocity range 1.5 to 5 km/s. The ratio of crater to projectile diameter tends to 1 as L/D decreases over this entire velocity range. For impact velocities of 1.5 and 3 km/s, penetration depth normalized by projectile length, P/L, increases with decreasing projectile L/D up to a maximum value and then decreases for still lower L/D. Experiments at impact velocities of 2 and 3 km/s confirm these results. For 5 km/s impact velocity, the calculations show P/L increasing with decreasing projectile L/D over the entire range 1/32 ≤ L/D ≤ 1. The projectile L/D for which the maximum P/L occurs appears to depend on the impact velocity. P/L generally scales with impact velocity as P/L v^f(L/D) where f(L/D) ranges from 0 for a long rod to, we believe, 2 in the limit as projectile L/D approaches zero. The calculations show for 1/8 ≤ L/D ≤ 1/2, P/L v^0.9; for L/D = 1/16, P/L v^1.5; and for L/D = 1/32, the new results give P/L v^1.9.     

Modeling Power Supply Noise in Delay Testing

Excessive power supply noise during test can cause overkill. This article discusses two models for supply noise in delay testing and their application to test compaction. The proposed noise models avoid complicated power network analysis, making them much faster than existing power noise analysis tools. can cause performance degradation and     

Adaptive alignment packaging for 2-D arrays of free-spaceoptical-interconnected optoelectronic systems

An adaptive alignment scheme for packaging two-dimensional (2D) arrays of optoelectronic systems interconnected by free-space optics is presented. A method of using three quadrant detectors to detect alignment errors in six degrees of freedom is described. However, the complexity of this system increases due to the interactions among the detected error signals. A novel control algorithm is presented to eliminate the interaction and simplify the design of the closed-loop feedback control. A computer simulation compares different algorithms and shows the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. An experimental closed-loop feedback system demonstrated the principle of the error detection and correction of the proposed system with initial errors in multiple degrees of freedom     

AgNO<Subscript>3</Subscript> spray tests: advantages,weaknesses, and various applications to quantify chloride ingress into concrete. Part 1: Non-steady-state diffusion tests and exposure to natural conditions

Within the framework of the evaluation and the prediction of chloride-induced corrosion risks, simple and rapid AgNO₃ spray tests can be proposed for various issues. This paper forms the first part of a series. In this first part, the Maultzsch procedure (spraying of 0.1-N AgNO₃ solution + K₂CrO₄) as well as the procedure based on the use of a sole AgNO₃ solution have been investigated on a broad range of concretes. These procedures have also been compared to the Collepardi procedure (spraying of 0.1-N AgNO₃ + fluoresceine). The feasibility of these colorimetric techniques on saturated specimens cast in laboratory, after non-steady-state diffusion tests carried out in various conditions, is discussed. In addition, the results obtained from applying such spray tests in field conditions on cores drilled out from various RC test specimens exposed to a marine environment (tidal zone) and to a road and cold environment (freezing-thawing cycles and spraying of deicing salts) are presented. Colorimetric methods have in particular been applied here to the assessment of the average chloride penetration depth and of its evolution versus time (kinetics). Moreover, the detection threshold of these techniques has been investigated in various environments. The possible sources of discrepancy on the results have been analysed.     

Abnormal mucosal glycoprotein synthesis in inflammatory bowel diseases is not related to cigarette smoking

Patients with ulcerative colitis are usually non- or ex-smokers in contrast to Crohn's disease where smoking is common. Abnormalities of quantity and quality of intestinal mucus have been postulated in the pathogenesis of these diseases. It is possible that smoking habit may exert its effects via changes in mucus in inflammatory bowel disease. We have therefore studied incorporation of N-acetylglucosamine into synthesized colonic mucin in explants from 85 controls with normal colonoscopic appearances and histology, including 27 smokers and 58 nonsmokers, 36 patients with ulcerative colitis and 19 with ileocolonic Crohn's disease over 24 h in tissue culture. Incorporation of N-acetylglucosamine into normal explants was 31.3 +/- (SD) 7.1 dpm/microgram biopsy protein, incorporation was increased in patients with active Crohn's disease (mean 41.2 +/- (SD) 10.4 dpm/microgram biopsy protein, p = 0.003), decreased in inactive ulcerative colitis (mean 24.1 +/- 7.8 dpm/microgram biopsy protein, p = 0.0006) but normal in active ulcerative colitis (mean 35.0 +/- 13.8 dpm/microgram biopsy protein, p = 0.44). No significant relationship was found between cigarette smoking habits and mucus synthesis in controls with normal mucosa (nonsmokers, n = 58, mean 31.0 +/- (SD) 7.52 dpm/microgram biopsy protein; smokers, n = 27, mean 31.8 +/- (SD) 6.1 dpm/microgram biopsy protein, p = 0.9). This study shows that mucus glycoprotein synthesis is reduced in inactive ulcerative colitis, rising to normal levels in active disease and that synthesis is increased in Crohn's disease. There is no effect of smoking on mucus synthesis by control biopsies suggesting that the differences seen in inflammatory bowel disease are not related to cigarette smoking.     

Metadata's role in a scientific archive

Computational and laboratory experiments generate masses of data that must be stored reliably, with minimal effort on each researcher's part, and must be retrievable for decades. The storage environment must also work seamlessly across scientific disciplines and capture all of a file system's features in a semantically-based catalog that provides Boolean, keyword, and tree-based data access. The authors describe a metadata-based archive for scientific data that provides flexible archive storage for very large data sets. The system uses metadata to organize and manage the data without imposing predefined metadata formats on scientists.     

The controlling effect of 0.05% hydrogen sulfide gaseous atmosphere on the accelerated fatigue failure of coated MM-002 nickel-base superalloy at 650 °C

A systematic study was carried out aimed at evaluating the environmental effects of H₂S containing environment on the creep-fatigue failure of coated undirectionally solidified MM-002 nickel-base superalloy at high temperature. The cyclic loading conditions were constant and consisted of creep tension and plastic compression following the CP-mode of the strain range partitioning method. The results obtained have shown that although the pack cementation coating used showed adequate resistance under the combination of cyclic loading and oxidizing environments, this resistance was not evident under the H₂S containing atmosphere. In fact, it was found that even an amount as little as 0.05% H₂S had an extremely detrimental effect on the creep-fatigue life of the coated superalloy at 650 °C. The crack initiation and propagation in the H₂S environment was controlled by an aggressive sulphidation attack ahead of the crack tip. This was demonstrated by the formation of low melting eutectic sulfides at the plastic zone ahead of the crack tip, causing an accelerated transdendritic cracking and premature failure.     

Economics of liquid hydrogen from water electrolysis

Using the data from vendors and open literature, we have constructed a preliminary cost model to predict the cost of liquid hydrogen (LH₂) from water electrolysis. The model has been applied to two LH₂ plants. Both have a production rate of 10 886 kg day⁻¹. The first plant (Plant 1) consists of a tank-type electrolyzer and a liquefier and runs all day at the base-load (or equivalent base-load) power rate. The second (Plant 2) consists of a tank-type electrolyzer, a liquefier, a compressor, and storage vessels. The electrolyzer and the compressor shall run only during the off-peak hours at the off-peak power rate. However, the liquefier shall run all day at the base-load (or equivalent base-load) power rate. The costs of LH₂ from both plants are presented. Unless the base-load power rate is high and the off-peak power rate is substantially low, Plant 1 appears to be economically more feasible than Plant 2.