Characterization of YBa2Cu3O7/PrBa2Cu3O7 superlattices

We investigated the structural and superconducting properties ofc-axis oriented (YBa₂Cu₃O₇) _nY /(PrBa₂Cu₃O₇) _npr superlattices with thicknesses of the individual layers down to one unit cell (10nY1; 18>nPr 1). By transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction we find an excellent structural quality of the samples, though the quantitative analysis shows the existence of defects. In superlattices with decoupled YBa₂Cu₃O₇ layers of two unit cell thickness we find a highT _c value of 75 K. We probed the flux line structure in the superlattices by measurements of the critical current density in magnetic fields. The experiments show that the flux-line dynamics is dominated by the movement of pancake vortices.     

Gain-scheduled PID controller design

Gain scheduling (GS) is one of the most popular approaches to nonlinear control design and it is known that GS controllers have a better performance than robust ones. Following the terminology of control engineering, linear parameter-varying (LPV) systems are time-varying plants whose state space matrices are fixed functions of some vector of varying parameters. Our approach is based on considering that the LPV system, scheduling parameters and their derivatives with respect to time lie in a priori given hyper rectangles. To guarantee the performance we use the notion of guaranteed costs. The class of control structure includes centralized, decentralized fixed order output feedbacks like PID controller. Numerical examples illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.     

A formalisation of deep metamodelling

Metamodelling is one of the pillars of model-driven engineering, used for language engineering and domain modelling. Even though metamodelling is traditionally based on a two-metalevel approach, several researchers have pointed out limitations of this solution and proposed an alternative deep (also called multi-level) approach to obtain simpler system specifications. However, this approach currently lacks a formalisation that can be used to explain fundamental concepts such as deep characterisation, double linguistic/ontological typing and linguistic extension. This paper provides such a formalisation based on the Diagram Predicate Framework, and discusses its practical realisation in the metaDepth tool.     

Time versus space trade-offs for rendezvous in trees

Two identical (anonymous) mobile agents start from arbitrary nodes of an unknown tree and have to meet at some node. Agents move in synchronous rounds: in each round an agent can either stay at the current node or move to one of its neighbors. We consider deterministic algorithms for this rendezvous task. The main result of this paper is a tight trade-off between the optimal time of completing rendezvous and the size of memory of the agents. For agents with $k$ memory bits, we show that optimal rendezvous time is $\Theta (n+n^2/k)$ in $n$ -node trees. More precisely, if $k \ge c\log n$ , for some constant $c$ , we design agents accomplishing rendezvous in arbitrary trees of size $n$ (unknown to the agents) in time $O(n+n^2/k)$ , starting with arbitrary delay. We also show that no pair of agents can accomplish rendezvous in time $o(n+n^2/k)$ , even in the class of lines of known length and even with simultaneous start. Finally, we prove that at least logarithmic memory is necessary for rendezvous, even for agents starting simultaneously in a $n$ -node line.     

Distribution of amathamide alkaloids within single colonies of the bryozoanAmathia wilsoni

The content and distribution of amathamide alkaloids within single colonies of the bryozoanAmathia wilsoni (Ctenostomata) varied depending on the location in the colony. Three colonies in all, collected from the same site at the same time, were analyzed and gave very similar results. The outermost, more exposed, tips of the colony had an alkaloid content of nearly 9% of dry weight, while basal parts were apparently devoid of alkaloids. Samples taken midway between tips and base yielded intermediate concentrations of about 1%. Very little variation in the proportions of individual amathamides A, B, C, E occurred between exposed tips of the colonies. However, some differences in ratios were found between tips from exposed and more protected regions.     

Transparent Ceramics at 50: Progress Made and Further Prospects

Fifty years have elapsed from the moment the first light transmitting ceramic‐based commercial item—a sodium vapor‐based street lamp component—reached the market. This paper intends to be a brief chronicle (albeit not a chronology) of this first half century of translucent and transparent ceramic history. The main ceramic materials now available in a transparent state are presented and their main applications are described. Applications range from aerospace and relativistic optics to medical care, supermarket shopping, and modern warfare. Light transmitting ceramics usable as laser gain‐media, armor windows, IR domes, phosphors, scintillators, and electro‐optical components have been developed. The principal achievements this research produced are discussed. Processing strategies for full densification have been devised and quantitative relationships were established between different microstructural features such as amount and size distribution of porosity or level of birefringence, and the level of electromagnetic radiation attenuation they cause. Future prospects list ends the paper.     

Experimental investigation of the rheological behaviors of polypropylene in a capillary flow

The rheological characterization of polymer melts is strongly related to their material properties. In this study, we focused on the rheological behaviors of a polypropylene (PP) melt through a capillary die. With an advanced twin‐bore capillary rheometer with dies measuring 1.0, 0.5, and 0.25 mm in diameter, experiments were performed over a shear‐rate range of 3 × 10² to 5 × 10³ s^?1 at three temperatures, 210, 220, and 230 °C. The results demonstrate that the geometry dependence of the PP viscosity relied on the die diameter and the temperature of the PP melt. The viscosity values of the PP melt in the 0.25‐mm diameter die were higher than were those in the 0.5‐ and 1.0‐mm dies at 220 and 230 °C. However, the viscosity values in all of the tested dies were similar at 210 °C. The tendency for the viscosity to decrease as the temperature of the polymer melt increased weakened in the 0.25‐mm diameter die. As a result, the pressure applied to the PP melt in the 0.25‐mm diameter die increased; this caused a decrease in the free volume between molecules. On the basis of the Barus equation, the contribution of pressure to the changed viscosity in each die at each of the tested temperatures was calculated and was found to be as high as 32.86% in the 0.25‐mm die at 230 °C. Additionally, the effect of the wall slip on the geometry dependence of the PP viscosity in the tested dies was investigated with a modified Mooney method. The values of the slip velocity revealed that wall slip occurred only in the 0.25‐mm die at 210 °C. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43459.     

Design of Aminobenzothiazole Inhibitors of Rho Kinases 1 and 2 by Using Protein Kinase A as a Structure Surrogate

We describe the design, synthesis, and structure–activity relationships (SARs) of a series of 2‐aminobenzothiazole inhibitors of Rho kinases (ROCKs) 1 and 2, which were optimized to low nanomolar potencies by use of protein kinase A (PKA) as a structure surrogate to guide compound design. A subset of these molecules also showed robust activity in a cell‐based myosin phosphatase assay and in a mechanical hyperalgesia in vivo pain model.     

Impaired posthypoxic relaxation in single cardiac myocytes: role of intracellular pH and inorganic phosphate

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to examine the effects of alterations in intracellular pH and inorganic phosphate concentration (known to influence myofilament kinetics and to change rapidly during hypoxia) on cell contraction, relaxation, and the Ca2+ transient in normoxic and hypoxic myocytes. METHODS: Single adult rat ventricular myocytes were electrically stimulated (0.2 Hz) and cell length (photodiode array), intracellular Ca2+ (indo-1 fluorescence), or intracellular pH (SNARF-1 fluorescence) measured. Hypoxia was induced in a special open chamber in which a laminar layer of argon prevented the back diffusion of atmospheric oxygen. RESULTS: Electrically stimulated contraction was preserved during exposure to hypoxia. At reoxygenation 10 minutes later the time from the stimulus to the peak of contraction (TPK) increased by 30(SEM 9)% and the time from the peak of contraction to 50% recovery of cell length (RT50) increased by 59(13)% relative to prehypoxic values (n = 8). These changes were not accompanied by a change in the kinetics of the Ca2+ transient. pHi fell from a baseline of 7.33(0.04) to 7.25(0.03) during hypoxia and then overshot to 7.44(0.03) at reoxygenation (n = 5). Since an intracellular alkalosis can slow myofilament relaxation, proton extrusion routes were blocked to examine posthypoxic relaxation in the absence of an alkalosis. Despite inhibition of the pHi overshoot, posthypoxic relaxation remained impaired. Intracellular inorganic phosphate levels were manipulated in two protocols (2-deoxyglucose to "trap" phosphate and Tris(hydroxymethyl)-aminomethane to buffer phosphate) and both TPK and RT50 increased in normoxic cells. Having established that these two interventions, which would be expected to decrease intracellular inorganic phosphate, result in a slowing of relaxation, myocytes were first phosphate loaded (exposed to 5.0 mM phosphate) and then made hypoxic and reoxygenated after 10 min to blunt the expected fall in phosphate accompanying reoxygenation. This led to a reduction in the slowing of contraction and relaxation following reoxygenation [TPK increased by 7(5)% and RT50 by 17(9)%, n = 8; p < 0.05 v cells studied in control buffer]. CONCLUSIONS: Impaired posthypoxic relaxation is not the result of changes in pHi but is attenuated by phosphate loading of cells and may be due to a rapid decrease in intracellular phosphate accompanying the resynthesis of high energy phosphates at reoxygenation.