Ultrasonic treatment restores the photoelectric parameters of silicon solar cells degraded under the action of <Superscript>60</Superscript>Co gamma radiation

The photoelectric parameters of silicon solar cells degraded under the action of ⁶⁰Co gamma-radiation can be partly restored using an ultrasonic treatment (UST). The growth of the maximum output power of solar cells after the UST is related to a redistribution of the radiation defects and an increase in the homogeneity of a semiconductor crystal structure.     

Modelling and simulation of KNbO3 ceramics dispersion

The dispersion of potassium niobate (KNbO₃) ceramics is analysed using the multiple-arc approach. This has revealed a high frequency arc that is unattainable by the Cole-Cole single arc analysis. The temperature dependence of the new arc is derived through the spread parameter of the relaxation distribution and interpreted in terms of the ferroelectric property of the KNbO₃ ceramics. It is shown that the overall dispersion behaviour of the ceramics is mainly due to the existence of two distinctly different polarisation mechanisms. The arc approach has also provided an effective tool for network simulation of dispersion whereby the ceramics are modelled by nine parallel R-C branches over the frequency range 10²-10⁵ Hz used     

Filtration efficiency and the percolation phenomenon in a grooved-plate Separator

We present here the results of a study of the separation process in the extraction matrix of a novel high-intensity magnetic separator (HIMS). The matrix uses an ordered array of grooved plates (replacing conventional collectors, which are generally made of wires). Only experimental results are available for grooved plates in the literature, but here we propose a new theoretical approach. We report on the particles' behavior, the existence of a percolation phenomenon, and the filtration efficiency, in order to analyze and compare the performance of matrix structures (Lenoir's and Jones'). We discuss the causes of the percolation phenomenon and its effect on filtration efficiency. Correspondence between the theory and the experiments is good. We suggest appropriate uses of each matrix structure according to the property of the processed particles.     

Thermal Transformations of an Aluminoborophosphate Binder

Thermal transformations of a commercial aluminoborophosphate binder are studied in a broad temperature range by optical microscopy, x-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, and thermal analysis. The introduction of B₂O₃ reduces the temperature of phosphate polycondensation, enhances the stability of cyclometaphosphates in a broad temperature range (180–1100°C), and reduces the stability of hydrogen phosphates.     

A test for the statistical significance of DNA sequence similarities for application in databank searches

A method is developed, based on word-searching, which provides a rapid test for the statistical significance of DNA sequence similarities for use in databank searching. The method makes allowance for the lengths and dinucleotide compositions of the sequences being compared. A way is also described to calculate the power of the test, i.e. the probability of detecting a given similarity as being statistically significant. The effects on the power of the test of the scoring method, word length, sequence length, and sequence composition are examined. A novel scoring method is shown to be superior to the method currently used in most word-searching algorithms.     

Static and pulsed pressures measured using electrically conducting rubbers

A method of measuring static and pulsed pressures using electrically conducting rubber sensors is proposed. The method is based on a change in the volume resistivity of a filled rubber under the action of external pressure. The pressure-induced change in resistance of the rubber sensor is proportional to the applied pressure and can be measured by a bridge circuit. Using this method, it is possible to evaluate the degree of homogeneity of the pressure distribution over a solid surface. This is achieved by distributing rubber sensors over the given surface.     

An intrinsic observer for a class of Lagrangian systems

We propose a new design method of asymptotic observers for a class of nonlinear mechanical systems: Lagrangian systems with configuration (position) measurements. Our main contribution is to introduce a state (position and velocity) observer that is invariant under any changes of the configuration coordinates. The observer dynamics equations, as the Euler-Lagrange equations, are intrinsic. The design method uses the Riemannian structure defined by the kinetic energy on the configuration manifold. The local convergence is proved by showing that the Jacobian of the observer dynamics is negative definite (contraction) for a particular metric defined on the state-space, a metric derived from the kinetic energy and the observer gains. From a practical point of view, such intrinsic observers can be approximated, when the estimated configuration is close to the true one, by an explicit set of differential equations involving the Riemannian curvature tensor. These equations can be automatically generated via symbolic differentiations of the metric and potential up to order two. Numerical simulations for the ball and beam system, an example where the scalar curvature is always negative, show the effectiveness of such approximation when the measured positions are noisy or include high frequency neglected dynamics.