A novel ceramic matrix composite based on YNbO4–TiO2 for microwave applications

This work presents the dielectric properties of YNbO₄ (YNO)–TiO₂ composites in the microwave range. X-ray diffraction analysis demonstrates that the addition of TiO₂ to YNO results in the formation of a Y(Nb_0.5Ti_0.5)₂O₆ phase. In the microwave range, the values of permittivity and dielectric loss did not present major changes with the increment of TiO₂. Moreover, the addition of TiO₂ results in an improvement in the thermal stability of YNO, with YNO63 demonstrating a resonant frequency of ?8.96 ppm.°C^?1. We utilised numerical simulations to evaluate the behaviour of these materials as dielectric resonator antennae and it is found that they exhibit a reflection coefficient below ?10 dB at the resonant frequency, with a realised gain of 4.94 – 5.76 dBi, a bandwidth of 665–1050 MHz and a radiation efficiency above 84%. Our results indicate that YNO–TiO₂ composites are interesting candidates for microwave operating devices.     

Tribotronics—Towards active tribology

A constant trend towards more compact mechanical systems with higher power densities and increased thermo-mechanical loads emphasises the importance of the development of new design approaches and novel tribological systems. Ignoring this may cause a significant slow down in technological and industrial development. Tribotronics or active tribology based on adaptive performance is thought of as being critical in the implementation of smart machine concepts. Recognition of the importance of tribotronics, or active control of system loss outputs, such as those through friction and wear will have significant beneficial economic consequences as a result of the associated accelerated rate of technological progress. These smart tribotronic systems can be embedded in a great variety of machines and mechanisms. If this integration is made at the design stage, products that are more flexible, efficient and reliable can be produced. The concept of tribotronics is presented and discussed in this paper. Some illustrative examples that show the feasibility of an “active” approach are given. In addition, various possibilities already reported in literature are discussed.     

Flux Jumps and H-T Diagram of Instability for MgB2

We present a study of magneto-thermal instabilities in polycrystalline MgB₂ superconductor, by magnetic hysteresis loop measurements and by investigations of magnetic flux dynamics with a miniature Hall probe. Temperature and magnetic field ranges where the flux jumps may be observed have been determined. On the basis of measurements of the magnetic flux dynamics, an average magnetic diffusivity describing the process of the flux jump is estimated. This parameter is compared with the thermal and magnetic diffusivities calculated on the basis of available data for thermal conductivity, heat capacity and resistivity. It is shown that the estimated value of the field of the first flux jump is influenced significantly by the field dependence of specific heat. In order to explain the observed phenomenon, the temperature reached by the sample during the flux jump at different magnetic fields is calculated.     

Text planning with opportunistic control

This report describes the current state of our central research thrust in the area of natural language generation. We have already reported on our text-level theory of lexical selection in natural language generation ([59, 60]), on a unification-based syntactic processor for syntactic generation ([73]) and designed a relatively flexible blackboard-oriented architecture for integrating these and other types of processing activities in generation ([60]). We have implemented these ideas in our prototype generator, Diogenes — a DIstributed, Opportunistic GENEration System — and tested our lexical selection and syntactic generation modules in a comprehensive natural language processing project — the KBMT-89 machine translation system ([15]). At this stage we are developing a more comprehensive Diogenes system, concentrating on both the theoretical and the system-building aspects of a) formulating a more comprehensive theory of distributed natural language generation; b) extending current theories of text organization as they pertain to the task of planning natural language texts; c) improving and extending the knowledge representation and the actual body of background knowledge (both domain and discourse/pragmatic) required for comprehensive text planning; d) designing and implementing algorithms for dynamic realization of text structure and integrating them into the blackboard style of communication and control; e) designing and implementing control algorithms for distributed text planning and realization. In this document we describe our ideas concerning opportunistic control for a natural language generation planner and present a research and development plan for the Diogenes project.Many people have contributed to the design and development of the Diogenes generation system over the last four years, especially Eric Nyberg, Rita McCardell, Donna Gates, Christine Defrise, John Leavitt, Scott Huffman, Ed Kenschaft and Philip Werner. Eric Nyberg and Masaru Tomita have created genkit, which is used as the syntactic component of Diogenes. A short version of this article appeared in Proceedings of IJCAI-89, co-authored with Victor Lesser and Eric Nyberg. To all the above many thanks. The remaining errors are the responsibility of this author.     

Contact melting inside an elastic capsule

An approximate mathematical model of contact melting of an unfixed material in elastic cylindrical and spherical capsules is developed. Since the density of the solid is higher than that of the melt, the melting solid resides at the bottom supported by a thin layer of the generated, convecting, melt, and the capsule swells. The main characteristic scales and non-dimensional parameters, which describe the principal features of the melting process and the liquid flow, are found. Linearisation with regard to the Stefan number as well as the small difference between the densities of the solid and liquid enables us to derive a closed-form evolution equation for the motion of the solid, which also determines the melting rate. Numerical solution of the evolution equation shows that the swelling of the capsule during melting, which is caused by the decrease of the density during phase transition, leads to slowing down of the melting process. This effect is due to flattening of the lower surface of the capsule, which entails fall of the pressure along with thickening of the molten layer. The latter determines the decrease of the melting rate.     

β-hydroxyacyl-coa-dehydrogenase (HADH) activity of unfrozen and frozen—thawed frog (Rana esculenta) legs

The β-hydroxyacyl-CoA-dehydrogenase (HADH) activity of unfrozen and thawed frog legs was investigated. The enzyme was extracted by either immersing frog legs in phosphate buffer 0.1 M, pH 6.0 at 25°C for 15 min or pressing them between trichinoscopy glasses. The enzyme activity was assayed using acetoacetyl-CoA as substrate and measured spectrophotometrically at 340 nm. It was possible by both extraction methods to distinguish between thawed and unfrozen samples although when the juice was obtained by pressing the HADH activity of the dilution was ～ 1.5 times higher than that obtained by immersion. The HADH activity was significantly higher (P≤0·001) in frozen-thawed frogs than in unfrozen legs because during freezing there is a release of HADH. No significative differences were found in the HADH activity in samples frozen in the temperature range -10 to -196°C. HADH activity was not affected by the storage time in crushed ice up to 6 days.     

Phase equilibrium in solutions of star-shaped macromolecules: an improved Okada-Numasawa model

The two-region Okada-Numasawa model for solutions of star-shaped polymers has been improved by means of a change in the integration order and introduction of a concentration-dependent and molar-mass-dependent Flory-Huggins interaction parameter (the second and third approximations of the Flory-Huggins theory). To overcome calculation difficulties, a special algorithm for computing coexistence curves of polymeric systems with an UCST has been used. The agreement between the experimental and calculated coexistence curves for the star-shaped polystyrene (PS)-cyclohexane system has been improved: the difference between T_cs is ∼0.33 K against ∼12 K as given by the original model.     

Status of Work on the VÉPP-5 Injection Complex

The VÉPP-5 injection complex under construction at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences is a powerful source of intense electron and positron bunches at 510 MeV, which covers all needs of the electron–positron colliding beam setups currently operating and under construction at the Institute of Nuclear Physics. The complex includes a 285 MeV linear electron accelerator, a 510 MeV linear positron accelerator, and an accumulator–cooler with beam injection and ejection channels. Intense work on the design, assembly, and tuning of the linear electron accelerator has been conducted in the last 2 yr. As a result, by August 2002 the linear electron accelerator was put into operation with all standard subsystems. By this time, the isochronous achromatic turning of the electron beam, a system for converting electrons into positrons, and the first accelerating structure of the linear positron accelerator were assembled and put into operation. All this made it possible to accelerate the positron beam up to 75 MeV. Preliminary results of tests of the linear accelerators are presented.