Structure of heterosystems formed by a SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> film and island metal (Ag,Au, or Pd) condensate

We have studied the phase composition and microstructure of thin tin(IV) oxide films surfacemodified with silver, gold, and palladium nanoislands. Using high-energy electron diffraction, we have shown for the first time that the thermal oxidation of the Sn films leads to the formation of nanocrystalline multiphase SnO₂ films in which the major phase is orthorhombic. Also present are (in order of decreasing content) tetragonal and cubic phases. Blocks of SnO₂(O) subgrains with 〈101〉 texture contain dislocations and stacking faults, which are interpreted as layers of the tetragonal phase. It has been shown that vacuum condensation makes it possible to modify the surface of SnO₂ films with noble metals and obtain homogeneous nanoisland coatings characterized by a unimodal, uniform island size distribution.     

Development tools for open agent networks

Distributed peer-to-peer computing in which no centralized control server is assumed, and in some cases, client-server architecture is actually rejected, has been the subject of intense investigations in the field of information technologies in the recent years. This new paradigm of designing large-scale distributed intelligent systems attracts attention of both researchers and developers of industrial applications. This paradigm provides qualitatively new capabilities, especially for designing systems consisting of a large number of autonomous instances which can appear and disappear from the system at any time instant. The idea of integration of these systems (hereinafter, P2P systems for brevity) and multi-agent technologies is especially attractive; it realizes the advantages of both paradigms, namely, the maturity of technologies and the relative simplicity of creation of multi-agent systems consisting of autonomous intelligent programs which interact via a high-level language, as well as the openness, the scalability, and the reliability of P2P systems. This integration seems quite natural. Indeed, multi-agent systems is the set of autonomous intelligent programs; therefore, the structuring of these programs into the network whose nodes interact directly without any intermediate server is the natural step if the technology of P2P interactions has been well developed using a high level language. However, for practical realization of this idea, it is necessary to make one very important step, namely, to develop mechanisms for agent interaction on a semantic level, when agents query some functionalities (services) from each other, possibly, not knowing a priori what particular agents can provide the queried functionality (service) and whether these agents exist in the network. The application of the agent variant of the architecture, the service oriented architecture, another new paradigm of construction of information systems, provides practical capability of realization of mechanisms of semantic interaction of agents of the open P2P network. This work represents the P2P agent platform developed by the authors whose instances installed on the network nodes above the standard P2P service form the distributed meta-knowledge knowledge base intended for organization of semantic P2P interaction of agents. Application-oriented agents placed on the network nodes above the instances of the agent platform receive the capability of semantic interaction. The program realization of the platform is supported by the mechanism of P2P interaction of agents using messages with standard formats and pair communications of the network nodes. The role, functions, and the essence of the processes of operation of this platform is explained using two applications as the examples; these applications are sufficiently important from the practical point of view. They are used for verification of basic solutions presented in this work.     

Use of safety valves in the first loop of a nuclear power plant with a water-moderated-water-cooled power reactor

Conclusions It is not useful to transfer the requirements of the supervising committees on the safety of the usual vessels and high-pressure systems against their exceeding the allowable value of the pressure in nuclear installations with the conditions of radioactivity in the first loop of nuclear power plants, especially those onboard a vessel, with such a system as the active zone, which does not permit exposure and prolonged liberation of heat. Protection against an increase in pressure can be more effectively provided by reliable systems for shutting down the reactor, removing heat, and others, which is indicated by the comparative experience in using nuclear-powered icebreakers and some nuclear power plants abroad.Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol 50, No. 5, pp. 308–310, May, 1981.     

Fuel elements of nuclear reactors

On the basis of foreign reports presented at the Second International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, Geneva, 1958, the characteristics of construction of fuel elements (FE) and basic data relating to them for a series of reactors are given. Problems on the selection of fuel and construction materials as well as the technology of preparing FE for various types of nuclear reactor are examined.     

Thermomagnetic phenomena in the mixed state of HTSC: Anisotropy and effect of pinning

We extend our model of the flux-flow thermomagnetic transport coefficients of superconductors [A. V. Samoilov, A. A. Yurgens, and N. V. Zavaritsky,Phys. Rev. B 46, 6643 (1992)] to the pinning region. Using a method due to Vinokur, Geshkenbein, Feigel'man, and Blatter, we show that if the vortex dynamics in disorder-dominated,N/gr _xx andS/ _xx (whereN is the Nernst coefficient,S is the thermopower, and _xx is the longitudinal resistivity) do not depend on the pinning strength. The theoretical consideration is illustrated by our experimental results on the high-temperature superconductors.