Forgetting automata and context-free languages

 It is shown that context-free languages can be characterized by linear bounded automata with the following restriction: the head can either move right without rewriting or move left with erasing the current cell (i.e. rewriting it with a special, nonrewriteable, symbol). If, instead of erasing, we consider deleting (complete removing of the cell), the corresponding automata are less powerful. Received June 6, 1994/April 12, 1995     

Morphology of coalescence processes: secondary fracture,cracks and spherulites

Summary Similarity in the shapes of fracture curves and spherulite boundaries makes possible to generalize the respective theories to the case of coalescence of two spreading processes of growth, disturbances or excitations. The geometrical shape of a coalescence curve depends on three parametres: the distance of their spreading centres, the relation of spreading velocities and the time delay of the spreading. According to the character of the process, the shielding effect may take place. In this case, the coalescence curve is composed of two parts which are to be described separately.     

Definition and distribution analysis of glycoprotein B gene alleles of human herpesvirus 7

As for other herpesviruses, glycoprotein B (gB) of human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7) is believed to play a major role in virus infection and as a target of the host immunogenic response. Using nested PCR, we amplified the whole HHV-7 gB gene from 108 human peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples and studied its variability. By means of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis, three distinct patterns, designated I, II, and III, were defined and detected at frequencies of 93, 5, and 2%, respectively. Determination of the nucleotide sequence allowed us to recognize five critical positions in the gB gene with six specific combinations of point changes at these positions. These combinations were gB alleles A, B, C, D, E, and F. Alleles D and E corresponded to RFLP patterns II and III, respectively, while the other four alleles corresponded to RFLP pattern I. Identical gB alleles were detected in serial samples as well as in paired samples of blood and saliva from the same individuals, except for one case. In contrast, the distribution of gB alleles differed according to the geographical origin of the human samples: C was the most frequent allele in both African and Caribbean samples, whereas F was the most frequent allele in European ones. Although none of the allele-specific nucleotide changes induced any modification at the protein level, the definition of gB alleles provided convenient viral markers for the study of both HHV-7 infections and human population genetics.     

Photochromic polymers

Summary Two soluble photochromic polymers containing 1-(ß-hydroxyethyl)-3,3-dimethyl-6-nitrospiro[2H-1-benzopyran-2,2-indoline] bound on a variously long side chain were prepared. It was found that the discolouration process depends on the length of the side chain to which the photochromic centre is bound.     

Stochastic LQ-optimal control for 2-D systems

Stochastic LQ-optimal control problem is solved for linear 2-D systems via 2-D polynomial techniques. All stabilizing controllers are parameterized and then minimizing one is obtained. Its transfer function results from two 2-D spectral factorizations and a couple of linear equations in formal power series. A practically useful sub-optimal controller is also considered that results from truncated spectral factorizations and a couple of 2-D polynomial equations.     

Prediction of Power Consumption in a Mechanically Agitated Gassed Reactor in Viscous Batches

Volumetric mass transfer coefficient, power input, and gas holdup are key parameters in the design of mechanically agitated gas‐liquid contactors. Although the majority of industrial batches are of higher viscosity, reliable transport characteristics correlations for viscous batches are lacking in literature. These correlations are often based on the power input as the scale of energy dissipation. In order to develop reliable power input correlations, its measurements were carried out in a pilot‐plant vessel using multiple impellers of various types and diameters. Power input correlation shapes providing the best match with the comprehensive database are also expected to predict most precisely the impeller power in industrial‐scale vessels.     

XPS study of carbon in electrochemical reduction products of poly(tetrafluoroethylene)

XPS spectra of reaction products of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) with lithium amalgam were studied. The primary reaction product is a mixture of LiF and elementary carbon in the sp- state in a molar ratio of 2:1. This carbon is very reactive, among others also with respect to air oxidation at room temperature leading to the formation of surface oxides with a well-defined chemical shift of the C 1s photoemission band, which can be attributed to COOH groups. The binding energy of 1s electrons in C atoms of the basic skeleton hidden in LiF is markedly higher than with other known modifications of carbon. The carbonaceous materials formed by the leaching out of LiF with water, or by the removal of LiF by melting, contain, after air oxidation, various types of surface oxides. The binding energy of C 1s photoelectrons in the resulting skeletons is comparable with that of other carbonaceous materials.     

Microflora of processed cheese and the factors affecting it

The basic raw materials for the production of processed cheese are natural cheese which is treated by heat with the addition of emulsifying salts. From a point of view of the melting temperatures used (and the pH-value of the product), the course of processed cheese production can be considered “pasteurisation of cheese.” During the melting process, the majority of vegetative forms of microorganisms, including bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae, are inactivated. The melting temperatures are not sufficient to kill the endospores, which survive the process but are often weakened. From a microbiological point of view, the biggest contamination problem of processed cheese is caused by gram-positive spore-forming rod-shaped bacteria of the genera Bacillus, Geobacillus, and Clostridium. Other factors affecting the shelf-life and quality of processed cheese are mainly the microbiological quality of the raw materials used, strict hygienic conditions during the manufacturing process as well as the type of packaging materials and storage conditions. The quality of processed cheese is not only dependent on the ingredients used but also on other parameters such as the value of water activity of the processed cheese, its pH-value, the presence of salts and emulsifying salts and the amount of fat in the product.