IN SITU X-RAY PROBES FOR PIEZOELECTRICITY IN EPITAXIAL FERROELECTRIC CAPACITORS

ABSTRACT

Probing the piezoelectricity and ferroelectricity of thin film devices and nanostructures quantitatively has proven to be challenging because the appropriate experimental tools have had a limited range of usefulness. We show here that the piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of epitaxial thin films can be measured quantitatively using time-resolved synchrotron x-ray microdiffraction. Microdiffraction combines structural specificity with the appropriate spatial resolution and ability to probe structures with electrical contacts. Our measurements of piezoelectric coefficients and coercive electric fields for Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ capacitors using this approach are in excellent quantitative agreement with results obtained electrically and mechanically. The time and spatial resolution of microdiffraction probes are well-defined and decoupled from electrical and mechanical resonances of the ferroelectric capacitor.     

MRP lot sizing with variable production/purchasing costs: formulation and solution

The research on lot sizing is extensive; however, no author in the literature reviewed to date provides an optimal solution algorithm to a prevalent problem which is found in manufacturing. A multi-level, general product-structure, variable-cost model is presented which follows the procedure of a closed-loop material requirements planning (MRP) system, and incorporates many conditions that production and material managers find in practice. A branch and bound (B&B7) algorithm is developed. The efficiency of B&B is derived from effective lower bounds and solution procedures which are determined on the basis of the space-time structure of the MRP lot-sizing problem and its non-convex total-cost function. This path-dependent lower bound is computationally efficient and guarantees an optimal solution. The B&B algorithm is tested on problems and compared to heuristics in the literature.     

燃油催化微粒捕集器微粒捕集与强制再生特性的研究

采用燃油催化再生微粒捕集器,对某排量为7.7 L柴油机的排放微粒进行捕集与强制再生。试验结果表明:在低排温工况下,随着微粒捕集器内微粒不断增加,微粒捕集器两端压差随捕集时间增加呈线性提高。燃油中加入的铁基催化剂可以降低碳粒燃烧的温度,增加微粒捕集器的微粒储备能力,并能够有效再生。当燃油中无添加剂时,在特定工况下发动机运行19.5 h后,微粒捕集器的两端压差达到10 kPa,而有添加剂时则可延长到23.5 h。在排气温度为530℃的强制再生工况下,燃油中有添加剂,约需6 min可全部强制再生累积的微粒,而无添加剂则约用时14 min,且有添加剂时强制再生程度较高。微粒捕集器经500 h耐久试验后,在有添加剂情况下其两端压差达到15 kPa,发动机需在微粒累积工况下运转23 h,无添加剂需要18.5 h。按ESC排放测试,微粒捕集器对微粒的过滤效率达到80%以上,微粒排放为0.017 g/(kW.h),试验结果还发现微粒捕集器对CO、HC及NOx的排放没有影响。     

AUTOMATIC EXTRACTING AS AN INTERACTIVE PROCESS

In our study we have tried to evaluate most of the existing methods of automatic extracting and to combine them into one single system for text reduction. Hitherto, all existing automatic extracting systems have produced only extracts of documents: they select certain sentences from the full text and list them in text order.

Despite the result that statistical methods can be used for extracting German language texts (and that similar methods show best results for German and English texts) the main outcome of this study was that computer-based methods for text extracting can alter the whole extracting and abstracting process as such and lead to completely new and as yet unknown aspects of text reduction: the tailormade extract and extracting as an interactive process.     

The effects of market power on the stocks and prices of world coffee

The objective of this study is to explore the consequences of market power for optimal stockholding and price variations in the world coffee economy. Optimal storage decision rules which incorporate risk aversion under several market scenarios are considered. These generate a set of price and quantity series that can be compared with the historical data and to test the hypothesis proposed by Newbery that a monopolistic producer tends to undertake more storage than a competitive producer and hence price stability may increase in proportion to the dominant role played by the monopolist. Our study reveals that the world coffee market has been rather close to the competitive regime since the 1960s. As far as price variations are concerned, results are not always consistent with the Newbery hypothesis.     

THYROTROPIC FEEDBACK CONTROL: EVIDENCE FOR AN ADDITIONAL ULTRASHORT FEEDBACK LOOP FROM FRACTAL ANALYSIS

More than 70 years after the discovery of the pituitary–thyroid feedback control mechanism, a classical endocrine regulation system, most of its parameters have been identified. However, the regulation of its central component in the pituitary gland, probably responsible for pulsatile release of thyrotropin (TSH), remains obscure. In order to infer its structure from the system's behavior, four different pituitary models were created and compared regarding their fractal properties. Based on the simplest model showing noncompetitive inhibition of TSH release by thyroid hormones—a physiologically plausible correlation—one alternative model added stochastic stimulation by central signals and another added an additional intrapituitary feedback loop, whereas the fourth model combined both effects. This latter model combining noncompetitive inhibition with the two additional effects showed the same fractal dimensions as in vivo time series, whereas the simpler models yielded significantly lower time-series complexity. These results suggest that both stochastic stimulation and ultrashort loop feedback are involved in the generation of TSH pulses in the human pituitary.     

Pressure Induced Inactivation of Selected Food Enzymes

Pectinesterase, lipase, polyphenol oxidase, lipoxygenase, peroxidase, lactoperoxidase, phosphatase and catalase have been examined at distinct conditions within a pressure range of 0.1 to 900 MPa, temperatures from 25°C to 60°C, pH 3 to 7, and time of treatment of 2 min to 45 min. Results in model buffers made it possible to rank the enzymes according to their pressure induced inactivation in the following order: lipoxygenase, lactoperoxidase, pectinesterase, lipase, phosphatase, catalase, polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase. A combination of pressure with moderate temperature increased the degree of enzyme inactivation. Pressure treatment of real food systems showed a protective effect of food ingredients on the pressure inactivation of most enzymes evaluated. For example sucrose protected pectinesterase from inactivation by pressure while lactoperoxidase and lipoxigenase were as stable in milk as in buffer.     

Aldehydes, Ketones and Esters in Valencia Orange Peel Oil

SUMMARY: The aldehydes, ketones and esters in the volatile portion of Valencia orange oil have been isolated and identified. Seventeen aldehydes and ketones and three esters are included, 10 of which have never been identified as constituents of Valencia oil. Cis- and trans-limonene oxide have also been found to occur in the same fraction. This is the first time that these compounds have been identified in cold-pressed orange oil. A series of five homologous α,β-unsaturated aldehydes were isolated and partially characterized.     

Note on the pole assignment of q-dimensional linear systems

The method in Chu (1986) for the solution of the pole assignment problem of separable 2-D linear discrete systems with state feedback is improved and extended to q-D linear discrete systems and systems with output feedback.     

Use of Ultrasound to Determine Cod Fillet Composition

The relationships between the composition and ultrasonic properties of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) fillets were examined. The lipid, protein, moisture and ash contents of cod fillets were determined by official methods. The ultrasonic velocity and attenuation coefficient of the fillets were measured using a pulse-echo technique. The ultrasonic velocity of the fillets varied between 1575 and 1595 m s^?1, decreasing linearly with increasing moisture content (r² > 0.8 for 26 samples). No systematic relationship was observed between the attenuation coefficient and moisture content. Our experiments highlight the potential of using ultrasonic velocity measurements to rapidly and nondestructively determine the moisture content of cod fillets (and possibly their protein content by deduction).