A superconducting X-ray spectrometer with a tantalum absorber andlateral trapping

We report the development of Nb-Ta-Al-Al₂O₃-Al superconducting tunnel junction structures for high energy resolution and high efficiency X-ray detection. These devices utilize a Ta X-ray absorber with superconductor “bandgap engineered” quasiparticle trapping to improve charge collection. Experimental results at 0.3 K are presented, showing energy resolution of 102 eV full-width-half-maximum for 6 keV X-rays. Collected charge is in excess of 5×10⁶ electrons. The absorption efficiency is better than 35%. Devices thermally cycle with no change in characteristics     

Comparative studies on the enzymatic absorption of protein hydrolysates in the small intestine of the rat. 3. The absorption trypsins thermatatic and trypsin-thermatatic hydrolysates of a fava bean protein isolate compared to an equimolar mixture of free amino acids

Tryptic, thermitatic, and tryptic-thermitatic Faba bean protein hydrolyzates as well as their equimolar mixture of amino acids were perfused through proximal and distal parts of the intestine (10 cm length) of non-narcotized rats. The total amino-acid concentration of the perfused solution was 50 mM. The absorption of nitrogen and total amino acids from the tryptic and tryptic-thermitatic hydrolyzates was lower than that from the amino-acid mixture, the absorption from the thermitatic hydrolyzate was in accordance with that from the amino-acid mixture. The absorption pattern of the amino acids which preferably undergo a peptidic absorption is similar with the three hydrolyzates: in the proximal intestinal part this concerns glutamic acid and serine, in the distal intestinal part--methionine, alanine, glycin, and serine. The absorption pattern of the amino acids is different between the three hydrolyzates and the amino-acid mixture. Between the absorption pattern of the amino acids from the three hydrolyzates little differences were evident only in the proximal intestinal part. The coefficients of variation of the tryptic-thermitatic hydrolyzates are in accordance with those of the amino-acid mixture, whereas that of the thermitatic hydrolyzates is significantly lower. In the distal intestinal part all supplied forms are more rapidly absorbed than in the proximal part of the intestine.     

ESR Refining Potential for Titanium Alloys using a CaF2‐based Active Slag

Since the end of the Cold War and due to the needs to produce titanium more cost‐efficient and thus more attractive for its civilian use, the electroslag remelting (ESR) process has become an increasingly important topic of international research programmes, because titanium and titanium aluminides can be chemically refined by ESR in some degree. Using ESR, titanium turnings from machining steps and scrap from foundries can be remelted, refined and provided as secondary titanium for the market at relatively favourable prices. This article investigates the removability of the main impurities out of titanium and titanium‐aluminium alloys by electroslag remelting using the active slag system CaF₂‐Ca‐(CaO). Thermochemical and kinetic aspects of the ESR process are considered.     

Matrix morphology and fibre pull-out strength of T700/PPS and T700/PET thermoplastic composites

The main objective of this fundamental study was to investigate effects of processing conditions and resulting matrix morphology on interfacial bond strength of fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites. Using a hot stage microscope, single fibre pull-out samples were produced with T700S high strength carbon fibre and two semicrystalline thermoplastic matrices, polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), respectively. Processing temperatures and cooling histories were the major variables in sample preparation. The T700S fibre had no clear effect on the surrounding PPS and PET matrix morphology, as long as direct cooling at constant rates was selected. A transcrystalline phase around the fibres could be induced in the T700S/PPS system, if isothermal crystallization was carried out at 227°C. Fibre pull-out tests were conducted at room temperature and two basic failure paths were observed, i.e. debonding at the fibre-matrix interface and cohesive failure of the matrix close to the fibre surface. The results indicate that slow cooling rate and a resulting coarse spherulitic morphology around the fibres correlate with high interfacial shear strength. In fact somewhat higher strength values were obtained for samples with transcrystalline layers around the fibres.     

Microstructure-related fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth behaviour in toughened, anhydride-cured epoxy resins

Fracture toughness and fatigue crack propagation (FCP) of plain and modified anhydride-cured epoxy resin (EP) were studied at ambient temperature. Liquid carboxyl-terminated acrylonitrile-butadiene (CTBN) and silicon (SI) rubber dispersions were used as tougheners for the EP. The morphology of the modified EP was characterized by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The fracture toughness, K_c, of the compositions decreased with increasing deformation rate. K_c of the EP was slightly improved by CTBN addition and practically unaffected by incorporation of the SI dispersion when tests were performed at low cross-head speed, v. Both modifiers improved K_c at high v, and also the resistance to FCP, by shifting the curves to higher stress intensity factor ranges, ΔK, by comparison with the plain EP. It was established that both fracture and fatigue performance rely on the compliance, J_R, at the rubbery plateau, and thus on the apparent molecular mass between crosslinks, M_c. The failure mechanisms were less dependent upon the loading mode (fracture, fatigue), but differed basically for the various modifiers. Rubber-induced cavitation and shear yielding of the EP were dominant for CTBN, whereas crack bifurcation and branching controlled the cracking in SI-modified EP. The simultaneous use of both modifiers resulted in a synergistic effect for both the fracture toughness at high deformation rate and the FCP behavior.     

High performance injectorless quantum-cascade lasers

Injectorless quantum-cascade (QC) lasers, for the first time comparable to conventional QC lasers, are presented. The samples are based on InP and the active region is designed as a four-level staircase, realised in the strain-compensated material system Ga/sub 0.4/In/sub 0.6/As/Al/sub 0.56/In/sub 0.44/As. Low threshold current densities and a maximum operating temperature of 350 K have been achieved, due to an optimised design. At 77 K the wavelength is about 10 /spl mu/m, while threshold current densities of 0.9 kA/cm/sup 2/ have been observed, which compare well with those of conventional QC lasers in this wavelength region.     

Behavioral and computational models of spatial attention.

Pigeons pecked for food in a spatially cued choice reaction time (RT) task. A brief (50-msec) white light appeared on a left or right key and probabilistically predicted the location (on either the left or right key) of a subsequent target stimulus. The time between cue and target onset (stimulus onset asynchrony), the base rate of left cues, and the probability that the cue correctly predicted the target (cue validity) were experimentally varied. The mean RT to respond to the target key was faster on correctly cued trials (defining a validity effect), decreased for both valid and invalid trials as stimulus onset asynchrony increased (defining an alerting effect), showed a variety of base-rate effects, and did not depend on cue validity. It is shown with a computational-processing model that dynamic interactions of short-term and associative memory processes are sufficient to produce these attention-like empirical phenomena. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Salvage therapy of advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth cavity and oropharynx. Results of interstitial high-dose-rate brachytherapy combined with ablative tumor surgery

PURPOSE: The clinical effect of high-dose-rate (HDR) interstitial brachytherapy combined with tumor resection was investigated in this retrospective study on patients with recurrent oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in 38 patients were treated over a period of 7 years (1988-1994) by HDR interstitial brachytherapy using Gammamed 12i equipment. Pretreatment of patients in terms of irradiation and surgery differed (33 irradiated with a total dose between 60.0 and 75.6 Gy, including 8 patients with additional surgery; 1 patient with surgery alone, and 4 patients without any pretreatment). Indications for interstitial brachytherapy differed according to individual responses to treatment and medical histories. RESULTS: Interstitial brachytherapy was successful in the majority of patients, i.e. complete remission: 12, partial remission: 19, no change: 2, progression: 5. Local control and overall survival including patients with surgical treatment was 59% and 81% at 6 months and 47% and 49% after 12 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: Interstitial HDR brachytherapy with Iridium 192 is recommended in patients with local recurrences or second primary carcinomas after previous external radiotherapy in the head and neck region. Combination of interstitial brachytherapy and surgery is preferable for these patients.