An alternative method for controlling two-output DC-to-DCconverters using saturable core inductor

The method proposed in this paper is an alternative to the use of a conventional magnetic amplifier in the control of a second output in buck derived DC-to-DC power converters. This method avoids the use of linear devices in the magnetic amplifier and improves the power converter dynamic response. It is very simple and it is based on the use of a saturable core and in the double switching frequency and duty cycle modulation in the power transistor     

Effect of ionizing radiation on in situ Raman scattering andphotoluminescence of silica optical fibers

Raman fiber optic chemical sensors provide remote in situ characterization capability. One application of Raman fiber optic chemical sensors is the characterization of the contents of nuclear waste tanks. In these tanks it is expected that approximately 20 meters of optical fiber will be exposed to radiation levels between 100 and 1000 rads/hour. In support of this work two silica optical fiber types (one a communications grade fiber and the other nominally radiation resistant) have been tested at the radiation levels expected in the tanks. Luminescence and Raman scattering measurements have been performed in situ with 488-nm excitation on two types of silica optical fiber exposed to a constant low to moderate dose rate of gamma radiation of 880 rads(Si)/hour from a ⁶⁰Co source for a total dose of greater than 45 krads. The nominally radiation-resistant fiber was also excited with 514.5-nm and near-infrared 830-nm laser radiation. The rate of the silica Raman signal decrease is more than three times greater for the visible excitation wavelengths than for the 830-nm excitation for the radiation resistant fiber. The behavior of the 650-nm photoluminescence line upon irradiation was different for the two fibers studied, both in terms of the shift of the 650-nm line and rate of increase of the normalized photoluminescence intensity. In all cases the photoluminescence from the fibers was less than the Raman intensity. No radioluminescence was observed in either fiber. The radiation resistant fiber exhibited photobleaching effects on the Raman transmission when photoannealed with 488-nm laser light     

Synopses of some recent published studies of the design process and designer behaviour

This series of synopses first appeared as Appendix II in ‘Design decision making and recommendations for design aids’ a report commissioned by the British Building Research Establishment. It was felt that this special issue on Designing for Behaviour provided a unique opportunity to republish these extremely relevant summaries to reach a wider audience of interested and involved parties. These synopses might also reveal to environmental design human behaviour researchers some of the problems that designers have in incorporating findings in their design processes and may perhaps suggest ways in which research publications might overcome these barriers to the transfer of information.     

Steering molecular organization and host-guest interactions using two-dimensional nanoporous coordination systems

Metal-organic coordination networks (MOCNs) have attracted wide interest because they provide a novel route towards porous materials that may find applications in molecular recognition, catalysis, gas storage and separation. The so-called rational design principle-synthesis of materials with predictable structures and properties-has been explored using appropriate organic molecular linkers connecting to metal nodes to control pore size and functionality of open coordination networks. Here we demonstrate the fabrication of surface-supported MOCNs comprising tailored pore sizes and chemical functionality by the modular assembly of polytopic organic carboxylate linker molecules and iron atoms on a Cu(100) surface under ultra-high-vacuum conditions. These arrays provide versatile templates for the handling and organization of functional species at the nanoscale, as is demonstrated by their use to accommodate C(60) guest molecules. Temperature-controlled studies reveal, at the single-molecule level, how pore size and chemical functionality determine the host-guest interactions.     

Microcontact printing of DNA molecules

The controlled placement of DNA molecules onto solid surfaces is the first step in the fabrication of DNA arrays. The sequential deposition of tiny drops containing the probe DNA fragments using arrays of spotting needles or ink jet nozzles has become a standard. However, a caveat of liquid spotting is the drying of the deposited drop because this creates the typical inhomogeneities, i.e., rims around the spot. Another drawback is that each DNA array is an original and has to be fabricated individually. Microcontact printing is a versatile technique to place proteins onto different target surfaces in uniformly patterned monolayers with high lateral resolution. Here, we show for the first time that DNA can also be printed with equally high resolution in the submicrometer range using an elastomeric stamp with chemically tailored surface. Two regimes for the transfer of the molecules were observed. Finally, microcontact printing of an array of DNA probes onto a solid support and its use in a subsequent hybridization assay was demonstrated.     

Gas-liquid equilibria in mixtures of hydrogen and thianaphthene

Gas-liquid equilibrium conditions in binary mixtures of hydrogen and thianaphthene were experimentally determined at temperatures of 190 to 430°C and pressures to 250 atm in a flow apparatus. The same apparatus was also employed to measure the vapor pressure of thianaphthene. Comparisons of the new mixture data with Chao-Seader and Grayson-Streed correlations show that both correlations predict the thianaphthene equilibrium ratios well but are in error by up to about 45 and 35% respectively for K-values of hydrogen.     

Molecular weight characteristics of humic substances from different environments as determined by size exclusion chromatography and their statistical evaluation

Recorded molecular weights (MWs) for humic substances (HS) range from a few hundred to millions of daltons. For purposes of defining HS as a specific class of chemical compounds, it is of particular importance to ascertain if this broad range of MWs can be attributed to actual variability in molecular properties or is simply an artifact of the analytical techniques used to characterize HS. The main objectives of this study were (1)to establish if a preferential range of MWs exists for HS and (2) to determine any consistent MW properties of HS. To reach the goal, we have undertaken an approach to measure under standardized conditions the MW characteristics of a large set of HS from different natural environments. Seventy-seven humic materials were isolated from freshwater, soil, peat, and coal, such that each possessed a different fractional composition: humic acid (HA), fulvic acid (FA), and a nonfractionated mixture of HA and FA (HF). Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) was used as the analytical technique to determine molecular weight characteristics. The MW distributions were characterized by number (Mn) and weight (Mw) average MW, and by polydispersity. The complete range of Mw values varied within 4.7-30.4 kDa. The maximum Mw values were observed for peat HF and soil HA, whereas the smallest weights were measured for river water HF. Maximum values of polydispersity (3.5-4.4) were seen for peat HF and soil HA, while much lower values (1.6-3.1) were found for all preparations isolated with XAD-resins. Statistical evaluation showed consistent Mw and Mn variations with the HS source, while polydispersity was mostly a function of the isolation procedure used. A conclusion was made that HS have a preferential range of MW values that could characterize them as a specific class of chemical compounds.     

Equivalence of backpropagation and contrastive Hebbian learning in a layered network

Backpropagation and contrastive Hebbian learning are two methods of training networks with hidden neurons. Backpropagation computes an error signal for the output neurons and spreads it over the hidden neurons. Contrastive Hebbian learning involves clamping the output neurons at desired values and letting the effect spread through feedback connections over the entire network. To investigate the relationship between these two forms of learning, we consider a special case in which they are identical: a multilayer perceptron with linear output units, to which weak feedback connections have been added. In this case, the change in network state caused by clamping the output neurons turns out to be the same as the error signal spread by backpropagation, except for a scalar prefactor. This suggests that the functionality of backpropagation can be realized alternatively by a Hebbian-type learning algorithm, which is suitable for implementation in biological networks.