Mechanisms in damping of mechanical vibration by piezoelectric ceramic-polymer composite materials

The piezoelectric ceramic (piezoceramic) component of a polymer-piezoelectric ceramic composite converts mechanical energy into electrical energy and this electrical energy is dissipated as heat in a load resistance, R _x, simulated by a shunted resistance, but provided in practice by a conductive polymer composite matrix. The composite therefore dissipates the input mechanical energy via the damping mechanism provided by piezoelectric ceramic-conductive matrix material, as well as the conventional viscoelastic damping provided by the polymer. Mathematical models have been developed to characterize the damping behaviour of the composites, and the maximum damping ratio of composites can be as high as 23%. A two degrees-of-freedom (2DOF) experimental setup was developed to test the validity of the models. The experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical predictions.     

Signal processing using cellular neural networks

The cellular neural network (CNN) architecture combines the best features from traditional fully-connected analog neural networks and digital cellular automata. The network can rapidly process continuous-valued (gray-scale) input signals (such as images) and perform many computation functions which traditionally were implemented in digital form. Here, we briefly introduce the the theory of CNN circuits, provide some examples of CNN applications to image processing, and discuss work toward a CNN implementation in custom CMOS VLSI. The role of analog computer-aided design (CAD) will be briefly presented as it relates to analog neural network implementation.This work is supported in part by the Office of Naval Research under Contract N00014-89-J1402, and the National Science Foundation under grant MIP-8912639.     

Neuropsychological and psychosocial effects of the FMR-1 full mutation: Case report of monozygotic twins discordant for the fragile X syndrome.

An extensive evaluation was conducted with 16-yr-old monozygotic twins concordant for the fragile X full mutation but discordant for mental retardation. The clearly affected twin had an IQ score of 47; 77% of her neuropsychological z scores were at least 2 SDs below average. Her sister had an IQ score of 105 and average neuropsychological performance. However, each girl demonstrated relative verbal strengths and visual-spatial weaknesses. Their parents rated each girl as having significant problems with attention, conduct, anxiety-withdrawal, and hyperactivity. The girls did not rate themselves as having significant anxiety. These findings are consistent with group data on females with fragile X and demonstrate the wide range of effects associated with the fragile X full mutation. This case report implicates the importance of a psychosocial phenotype of fragile X independent of cognitive ability level. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cast titanium as implant material

The tissue response in rats to implants made of machined and cast titanium was evaluated after 1 and 12 weeks. The implants consisted of a circular plate portion, located in the abdominal wall, and a cylindrical rod portion protruding into the peritoneal cavity. The chemical and topographical surface properties of the two types of implants differed considerably. The implants with surrounding tissue were processed en bloc for light and electron microscopy. The bulk metal was removed by an electrochemical procedure which permitted the sectioning and evaluation of the intact implant-tissue interface. The general distribution of macrophages and fibroblasts was the same around the plate portion of both types of implants. Macrophages constituted the predominating cell type with the highest concentration in the innermost cell zone closest to the implant. The number of macrophages per section area was significantly higher around machined implants. Multinuclear giant cells, always located at the implant surface, were more frequent around cast implants. The majority of the intraperitoneal rod portions were partially (1 week) or completely (12 weeks) covered by tissue; partial or complete overgrowth of tissue was rare for machined rod portions. Imaging electron energy loss spectroscopy demonstrated the presence of titanium in macrophages in the peripheral part of the tissue capsule around cast, but not machined implants. We conclude that the tissue responses to the two types of titanium implants differed considerably in the two biological environments (soft tissue in abdominal wall; peritoneal cavity) examined and that the response in one environment does not predict the response in the other. We also believe that improvements have to be made in the casting procedure in order to reduce surface roughness and contamination before cast implants can be used in clinical applications.     

Inhibitory Effect of some carbazides on corrosion of aluminium in hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide solutions

The dissolution of aluminium in hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide solutions in the presence of semicarbazide, thiosemicarbazide and sym.diphenylcarbazide as corrosion inhibitors has been studied using thermometric, weight-loss and polarization methods. The three methods gave consistent results. The higher inhibition efficiency of these compounds in acidic than in alkaline madia may be due to the less negative potential of aluminium in hydrochloric acid solution, favouring adsorption of the additive. The adsorption of these compounds were found to obey Frumkin adsorption isotherm. Cathodic polarization measurements showed that these compounds are cathodic inhibitors and their adsorption in the double layer does not change the mechanism of the hydrogen evolution reaction. The results are analysed in terms of both molecular and cationic adsorption.     

First-principles study of the tensile and fracture of the Al/TiN interface

Employing the density functional theory, we investigate the tensile and fracture processes of the Al/TiN(0 0 1) interface. The simulation presents directly the strain–stress relationship, the ideal tensile strength and the process of bond breaking of the system. Through the analysis of deformation, we find that the softer Al layers deform larger than the harder TiN layers during the tensile process. And fracture occurs between the interface and the sub-interface Al layers. In addition, the results show that during the tensile process, the ripple of the interfacial TiN layer decreases gradually with the increment of the strain. Charge transfer was detected from the Al to TiN layers near the interface area during the tensile process by means of charge density and density of states analyses. The charge transfer affects the fracture process. Compared to our previous study of the Al/TiN(1 1 1) interface, the Al/TiN(0 0 1) interface has smaller work of adhesion and larger tensile strength than the Al/TiN(1 1 1) interface. Our investigation shows that the fractures of the Al/TiN(0 0 1) and (1 1 1) interface systems both happen in the Al layers near the interface.     

Comparative Assessment of the Effect of Chemical and Radiation Factors on Workers and the General Public Resulting from the Salvaging of Nuclear-Powered Submarines

The results of observations performed over many years are used to make an assessment of the degree to which the concentration of chemical and radioactive substances escaping into the environment during salvaging of nuclear-powered submarines exceeds the admissable norms for workers at the main ship-repair facilities in Russia and for the general public in the surrounding territories. It is shown that the chemical substances are a determining factor in environmental contamination. Their content in the atmosphere and sea water exceeds the admissable norms near sources, on the territory of the enterprises, and (for individual indicators) at populated points. Under these conditions, the concentration of technogenic radionuclides does not exceed the admissable norms and its damaging effect on man is hundreds and thousands of times less than that of chemicals.     

ON AVERAGED DIFFUSION EQUATIONS

Methods of obtaining averaged diffusion equations are considered in case of non-uniform profile of the velocity in a channel. With the flow of Couette as an example, the comparison of exact and approximate solutions (obtained by means of perturbation method) has been carried out. The peculiarities of function of residence time distribution of liquid in the flows with non-uniform velocity field are noted. It is shown that the distribution function moments values including the zero and first moments values would depend on the degree of the velocity profile irregularity, on efficiency of radial mixing in a system as well as on the averaging method. The averaged diffusion equations which have been found by means of perturbation method are the most general of proposed ones at present in the appropriate literature. The Taylor's model and Goldstein's hyperbolic equations are included in said averaged equations as particular cases. The table of the numerical values of first three moments of RTD-function necessary for determining of the model parameters is given. The problems of application of the obtained averaged equation for calculating real chemical apparatuses, e.g. reactors, are discussed.     

Experimental study on a planar capacitative displacement sensor

An experimental study is described on a planar capacitative displacement sensor. It differs from existing models in being simple and giving scope for using film techniques. The sensor is particularly effective in measuring large displacements, e.g., in physics equipment.Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 3, pp. 36–37, March, 1995.     

Synthesis of dissipative systems using quadratic differentialforms: part II

For pt.1 see ibid., p.53-69 (2002). The authors discuss several important special cases of the problem solved in Part I. These are: disturbance attenuation and passivation, the full information case, the filtering problem, and the case that the to-be-controlled plant is given in input-state-output representation. An interesting aspect is the notion of full information, which we define in terms of the observability of the to-be-controlled variables from the control variables. When the system is given in state space form, we obtain conditions for the existence of a controller that renders a system dissipative in terms of two coupled algebraic Riccati inequalities. The controller turns out to be a feedback system with a transfer function that is proper, but, in general, not strictly proper. Another issue that we study in this paper is feedback implementability. We find conditions under which, in the context of synthesis of dissipative systems, a controlled behavior can implemented by a feedback controller