Decidability of Equivalence of Symbolic Derivations

We give in this paper an alternative, and we believe simpler, proof of a deep result by Mathieu Baudet, namely that the equivalence of symbolic constraints is decidable for deduction systems on a finite signature modulo a subterm convergent equational theory.     

MINIATURE PULSE TUBE FOR THE COOLING OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES: FUNCTIONING PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICAL MODELING

The miniaturization of refrigerating systems represents a very current scientific and technical challenge to improve the performances of numerous electronic components. This work presents a global approach to the problem and suggests studying the cooling by means of small channels filled with an oscillating gas: the double inlet pulse tube refrigerator (DIPTR). A great level of miniaturization based on the technology of carving silicon is exposed. This study proposes to apply an electric analogy for modeling both hydrodynamic and thermal phenomena. Considering the complexity of the theoretical problem including mechanical, thermal, thermodynamical, and acoustic considerations, the authors take care to summarize the main governing equations in a particular form so any scientific engineer could understand the DIPTR principle.     

Quantification of Yttria in Stabilized Zirconia by Raman Spectroscopy

The relationship between Y₂O₃ content in tetragonal and cubic ZrO₂ phases and the shift of the Raman band at ～645/cm was investigated. With increasing Y₂O₃ content, the 645/cm Raman band position decreases to lower Raman shift values. A fit of x = Y₂O₃ content in wt% and y = Raman band position in per cm, was found to be valid for low Y₂O₃‐stabilized t‐ZrO₂, t′′‐ZrO₂ transition, and fully stabilized c‐ZrO₂. Modeling the change in lattice parameters due to the incorporation of Y₂O₃ in ZrO₂ as obtained from Rietveld‐refined XRD data confirms that the peculiar sigmoidal form of the band shift with Y₂O₃ content is mainly due to a variation of the amount of oxygen vacancies. The resultant method is highly attractive in fields of Y₂O₃ determination in ZrO₂ materials where a fast, spatially resolved, and nondestructive analysis is required.     

Understanding of the annealing temperature impact on ion implanted bifacial n‐type solar cells to reach 20.3% efficiency

Ion implantation has the advantage of being a unidirectional doping technique. Unlike gaseous diffusion, this characteristic highlights strong possibilities to simplify solar cell process flows. The use of ion implantation doping for n‐type PERT bifacial solar cells is a promising process, but mainly if it goes with a unique co‐annealing step to activate both dopants and to grow a SiO₂ passivation layer. To develop this process and our SONIA cells, we studied the impact of the annealing temperature and that of the passivation layers on the electrical quality of the implanted B‐emitter and P‐BSF. A high annealing temperature (above 1000 °C) was necessary to fully activate the boron atoms and to anneal the implantation damages. Low J_0BSF (BSF contribution to the saturation current density) of 180 fA/cm² was reached at this high temperature with the best SiO₂ passivation layer. An average efficiency of 19.7% was reached using this simplified process flow (“co‐anneal process”) on large area (239 cm²) Cz solar cells. The efficiency was limited by a low FF, probably due to contaminations by metallization pastes. Improved performances were achieved in the case of a “separated anneals” process where the P‐BSF is activated at a lower temperature range. An average efficiency of 20.2% was obtained in this case, with a 20.3% certified cell. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Apolipoprotein E,a Crucial Cellular Protein in the Lifecycle of Hepatitis Viruses

Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is a multifunctional protein expressed in several tissues, including those of the liver. This lipoprotein component is responsible for maintaining lipid content homeostasis at the plasma and tissue levels by transporting lipids between the liver and peripheral tissues. The ability of ApoE to interact with host-cell surface receptors and its involvement in several cellular pathways raised questions about the hijacking of ApoE by hepatotropic viruses. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) was the first hepatitis virus reported to be dependent on ApoE for the completion of its lifecycle, with ApoE being part of the viral particle, mediating its entry into host cells and contributing to viral morphogenesis. Recent studies of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) lifecycle have revealed that this virus and its subviral envelope particles also incorporate ApoE. ApoE favors HBV entry and is crucial for the morphogenesis of infectious particles, through its interaction with HBV envelope glycoproteins. This review summarizes the data highlighting the crucial role of ApoE in the lifecycles of HBV and HCV and discusses its potential role in the lifecycle of other hepatotropic viruses.     

Integrated SMD pressure/flow/temperature multisensor for compressed air in LTCC technology: Thermal flow and temperature sensing

In this work, we present and analyse the flow-sensing part of a recently-developed multisensor in LTCC (low-temperature co-fired ceramic) technology; this device integrates flow/pressure/temperature sensing and is designed for diagnostics monitoring of standard industrial compressed air circuits and devices such as valves and actuators. In this prototype, flow is sensed using the constant-temperature anemometric principle, with temperature-sensing active and reference thermistors placed in the fluidic channel integrated within the LTCC structure. The LTCC bridge structuration technology and electronics are analysed, and possible improvements in fabrication yield and efficiency outlined.     

Dynamic behavior of an aggregate material at simultaneous high pressure and strain rate: SHPB triaxial tests

Low velocity impacts on energetic materials induce plastic deformations and sliding friction which can lead to ignition. If some ignition criteria have been proposed, the remaining difficulty is to characterize the mechanical behavior of the material when submitted to the corresponding solicitations (high pressure and high strain rate). Thus, a technique based on the Split Hopkinson Pressure Bars system is proposed to carry out a triaxial compression test. A cylindrical specimen is placed into a confining ring and is compressed by the system of bars. The ring prevents the radial extension of the specimen and creates a lateral confining pressure. The material and dimensions chosen for the ring maintain a constant radial pressure during the test. Some tests were carried out on an inert aggregate material and proved the validity of this experimental device. The experimental data processing shows the influence of both the pressure and the strain rate. The shear stresses, which contribute to thermal dissipation and then to the ignition threshold, increase according to the pressure.     

Tight binding of the antitumor drug ditercalinium to quadruplex DNA

The structural selectivity of the DNA-binding antitumor drug ditercalinium was investigated by competition dialysis with a series of nineteen different DNA substrates. The 7H-pyridocarbazole dimer was found to bind to double-stranded DNA with a preference for GC-rich species but can in addition form stable complexes with triplex and quadruplex structures. The preferential interaction of the drug with four-stranded DNA structures was independently confirmed by electrospray mass spectrometry and a detailed analysis of the binding reaction was performed by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy. The BIAcore SPR study showed that the kinetic parameters for the interaction of ditercalinium with the human telomeric quadruplex sequence are comparable to those measured with a duplex sequence. Slow association and dissociation were observed with both the quadruplex and duplex structures. The newly discovered preferential binding of ditercalinium to the antiparallel quadruplex sequence d(AG(3)[T(2)AG(3)](3)) provides new perspectives for the design of drugs that can bind to human telomeres.     

Low-dissipation and low-dispersion fourth-order Runge–Kutta algorithm

An optimized explicit low-storage fourth-order Runge–Kutta algorithm is proposed in the present work for time integration. Dispersion and dissipation of the scheme are minimized in the Fourier space over a large range of frequencies for linear operators while enforcing a wide stability range. The scheme remains of order four with nonlinear operators thanks to the low-storage algorithm. Linear and nonlinear propagation problems are finally solved to illustrate the accuracy of the present Runge–Kutta scheme.