certain trends in the development of technology and improvement in quality of nuclear fuel (review)

The trends in the improvement of the economic characteristics of nuclear power plants, one of which is the prolongation of the reactor campaign, i.e., the period in which the fuel is situated in the active zone under the due increase in its burnup level, are considered. Such an increase can be achieved, specifically, via using fuel with burnable absorbers, as well as by improving the quality of fuel pellets obtained by powder metallurgy. It is necessary to toughen the technical requirements for fuel pellets and improve the technology of their production and the equipment used in their fabrication. It is noted that the works for improving the operational factors of fuel pellets (particularly, lowering their gas release and decreasing the interaction of the fuel with the cladding) are currently mainly oriented to producing pellets with burning absorbers; obtaining the optimal microstructure (porosity and grain size) of the pellets; improving their shape; excluding dust on their surface after smoothing; and stabilizing their properties in regards to geometric sizes, density, and aftersintering.     

Small-signal analysis and control design of isolated power supplies with optocoupler feedback

Optocouplers are widely used in isolated power supplies to transfer the feedback signal from the secondary to the primary side. In many power supplies, the feedback amplifier is supplied from the output voltage that creates additional feedback path which should be taken into account in the control design. The paper presents a detailed analysis and control design for each of the two possible feedback loops that can be identified. In addition, dynamic limitations of the TL431 shunt regulator and of the optocoupler are discussed. Practical guidelines for the error amplifier design and a design example are presented for both voltage-mode and current-mode controls.     

Influence of fullerene on the rheological characteristics of melts of the polyamide composite forming the structure of a semi-interpenetrative polymer mesh

The time change in the melt viscosity of the polyamide composite forming at the final stage a polymer with the structure of a semi-interpenetrative polymer mesh has been investigated. To impregnate with the composite melt the carbon fiber for forming carbon-filled plastics, it is necessary to preserve the low viscosity of the melt for a long time. This is achieved by preliminary heat treatment of the composite and introduction of fullerene into it. __________ Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 78, No. 5, pp. 109–113, September–October, 2005.     

Control system of a linear induction accelerator of an X-ray complex: Structure,hardware, and test performance

The structure, operation logic, and hardware tools of the control system of a linear induction accelerator for an X-ray complex are considered. The hardware developed in the CompactPCI standard for the control system is described. The possibility of embedding of smart microelectronic equipment into high-voltage elements of the facility is analyzed.     

An efficient system for active bovine pancreatic ribonuclease expression in Escherichia coli

Bovine pancreatic ribonuclease (RNase A) is a member of a homologous group of extensively studied proteins. It is a small, basic protein, containing 124 amino acid residues and four stabilizing disulfide bridges. Ribonuclease A catalyzes the hydrolysis of the phosphodiester bonds in ribonucleic acids. Since this degradation of RNA interferes with normal cell functions, the signal peptide of alkaline phosphatase (phoA, Escherichia coli) was cloned onto the gene coding for RNase A, directing the protein to the periplasm. Several expression systems have been evaluated which use T7, trc, or PR promoters to transcribe the RNase A gene. Also, variation in host strains was tested to optimize the protein yield. It was found that the PR system gave better expression than the two other systems. E. coli strain BL21 was shown to be the strain in which export to the periplasm was most effective and recombinant RNase A could be isolated from the periplasmic fraction of these cells. The system provides a stable yield of active recombinant bovine pancreatic RNase of about 45-50 mg/liter of cell culture.     

A light-scattering spectrometer for medical diagnostic tasks

Whether a high-resolving light scattering spectrometer may be used in medical practice is discussed in the paper. The results of the experiments on blood components and microorganisms are discussed.