Electrocaloric Effect in Ba(Zr,Ti)O3–(Ba,Ca)TiO3 Ceramics Measured Directly

In this paper, we report on studies of the electrocaloric (EC) effect in lead‐free (1?x)Ba(Zr_0.2Ti_0.8)O₃–x(Ba_0.7Ca_0.3)TiO₃ ceramics with compositions range between 0.32 ≤ x ≤ 0.45. The EC effect was measured directly using a modified differential scanning calorimeter. The maximum EC temperature change, ΔT_direct = 0.33 K under an electric field of 2 kV/mm, was observed for the composition with x = 0.32 at ~63°C. We found that the EC effect peaks not only around the Curie temperature but also at the transition between the ferroelectric phases with different symmetries. A strong discrepancy observed between the results of the direct measurements and indirect estimations points out that using Maxwell's equations is invalid for the thermodynamic nonequilibrium conditions that accompany only partial (incomplete) poling of ceramics. We also observe a nonlinearity of the EC effect above the Curie temperature and in the temperature range corresponding to the tetragonal ferroelectric phase.     

Selection of antifungal protein-producing molds from dry-cured meat products

To control unwanted molds in dry-cured meats it is necessary to allow the fungal development essential for the desired characteristics of the final product. Molds producing antifungal proteins could be useful to prevent hazards due to the growth of mycotoxigenic molds. The objective has been to select Penicillium spp. that produce antifungal proteins against toxigenic molds. To obtain strains adapted to these products, molds were isolated from dry-cured ham. A first screening with 281 isolates by the radial inhibition assay revealed that 166 were active against some of the toxigenic P. echinulatum, P. commune, and Aspergillus niger used as reference molds. The activity of different extracts from cultured medium was evaluated by a microspectroscopic assay. Molds producing active chloroform extracts were eliminated from further consideration. A total of 16 Penicillium isolates were screened for antifungal activity from both cell-free media and the aqueous residues obtained after chloroform extraction. The cell-free media of 10 isolates that produced a strong inhibition of the three reference molds were fractionated by FPLC on a cationic column. For protein purification, the fractions of the three molds that showed high inhibitory activity were further chromatographed on a gel filtration column, and the subfractions containing the highest absorbance peaks were assayed against the most sensitive reference molds. One subfraction each from strains AS51D and RP42C from Penicillium chrysogenum confirmed the inhibitory activity against the reference molds. SDS-PAGE revealed a single band from each subfraction, with estimated molecular masses of 37 kDa for AS51D and 9 kDa for RP42C. Although further characterisation is required, both these proteins and the producing strains can be of interest to control unwanted molds on foods.     

Self-Timed Boundary-Scan Cells for Multi-Chip Module Test

This paper presents a self-timed scan-path architecture, to be used in a conventional synchronous environment, and with basic application in digital testing and interconnections checking in a Smart-Substrate MCM (T.A. García, A.J. Acosta, J.M. Mora, J. Ramos, and J.L. Huertas, Self-Timed Boundary-Scan Cells for Multi-Chip Module Test, Proceedings of IEEE VLSI Test Symposium, April 1998, pp. 92–97). With this approach, the potential advantages of self-timed asynchronous systems are explored for their practical use in a classical MCM testing application. Three different self-timed asynchronous boundary scan cells are proposed (Sense, Drive and Drive & Sense cells) that can be connected to form a self-timed scan-path. The main advantage is that no global test clock is needed, avoiding clock skew and synchronization faults in test mode, and hence, a more reliable test process is achieved. These cells have been designed and integrated in active substrates, building several boundary-scan configurations and being fully compatible with the ANSI/IEEE 1149.1 Standard. The experimental results, as well as their comparison with their synchronous counterparts, show the feasibility of the proposed self-timed approach for testing interconnections in a MCM.     

Probing a Device's Active Atoms

Materials science and device studies have, when implemented jointly as “operando” studies, better revealed the causal link between the properties of the device's materials and its operation, with applications ranging from gas sensing to information and energy technologies. Here, as a further step that maximizes this causal link, the paper focuses on the electronic properties of those atoms that drive a device's operation by using it to read out the materials property. It is demonstrated how this method can reveal insight into the operation of a macroscale, industrial‐grade microelectronic device on the atomic level. A magnetic tunnel junction's (MTJ's) current, which involves charge transport across different atomic species and interfaces, is measured while these atoms absorb soft X‐rays with synchrotron‐grade brilliance. X‐ray absorption is found to affect magnetotransport when the photon energy and linear polarization are tuned to excite Fe? O bonds parallel to the MTJ's interfaces. This explicit link between the device's spintronic performance and these Fe? O bonds, although predicted, challenges conventional wisdom on their detrimental spintronic impact. The technique opens interdisciplinary possibilities to directly probe the role of different atomic species on device operation, and shall considerably simplify the materials science iterations within device research.     

Behavioral control through evolutionary neurocontrollers for autonomous mobile robot navigation

This paper deals with the study of scaling up behaviors in evolutive robotics (ER). Complex behaviors were obtained from simple ones. Each behavior is supported by an artificial neural network (ANN)-based controller or neurocontroller. Hence, a method for the generation of a hierarchy of neurocontrollers, resorting to the paradigm of Layered Evolution (LE), is developed and verified experimentally through computer simulations and tests in a Khepera^® micro-robot. Several behavioral modules are initially evolved using specialized neurocontrollers based on different ANN paradigms. The results show that simple behaviors coordination through LE is a feasible strategy that gives rise to emergent complex behaviors. These complex behaviors can then solve real-world problems efficiently. From a pure evolutionary perspective, however, the methodology presented is too much dependent on user’s prior knowledge about the problem to solve and also that evolution take place in a rigid, prescribed framework. Mobile robot’s navigation in an unknown environment is used as a test bed for the proposed scaling strategies.     

Analysis of thin-slab casting by the compact-strip process: Part II. Effect of operating and design parameters on solidification and bulging

The mathematical model to compute the thermal evolution and solidification of thin slabs, previously presented in Part I of this article, was used in combination with a three-dimensional (3-D) finite-element thermomechanical model to analyze how actual operation conditions can lead to excessive deflection and jamming of the slab shell at the pinch rolls. The models suggest that these phenomena arise from a sudden loss of control of the metallurgical length stemming from the coupling of inappropriate steel superheats and casting velocities to deficient heat-extraction conditions at the mold or secondary cooling system. The bulging deformation was calculated with an elastic and creep model that takes into account the temperature distribution across the shell thickness and the different times that shell elements have to creep exposure, i.e., according to the time that rows of elements require to reach their current position in the casting direction at a given casting speed. The last point was simulated by varying the duration of application of the ferrostatic load to the inside surface of each row of elements. The conditions forecast by the models as being responsible for excessive bulging agree very well with those present during the occurrence of these events in the plant. Since bulging after the last containment roll is a major limitation to productivity, this article also presents a parametric evaluation of the casting-speed limits that two compact-strip process (CSP) casters with different supported lengths may have as a function of steel superheat, mold heat-extraction level, water flow rate of the spray and air-mist nozzles, and slab thickness.     

Integral sliding mode design for robust filtering and control of linear stochastic time‐delay systems

This paper presents an integral sliding mode technique robustifying the optimal controller for linear stochastic systems with input and observation delays, which is based on integral sliding mode compen‐sation of disturbances. The general principles of the integral sliding mode compensator design are modified to yield the basic control algorithm oriented to time‐delay systems, which is then applied to robustify the optimal controller. As a result, two integral sliding mode control compensators are designed to suppress disturbances in state and observation equations, respectively, from the initial time moment. Moreover, it is shown that if certain matching conditions hold, the designed compensator in the state equation can simultaneously suppress observation disturbances, as well as the designed compensator in the observation equation can simultaneously suppress state disturbances. The obtained robust control algorithm is verified by simulations in the illustrative example, where the compensator in the observation equation provides simultaneous suppression of state and observation disturbances. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.