First identification of rotational bands in 103Tc: Evolution of intrinsic proton states of the 97-105 43Tc isotopes

High-spin states of ¹⁰³ ₄₃Tc have been identified for the first time, this nucleus being produced as fission fragment following the fusion reaction ³⁷Cl + ¹⁷⁶Yb at 170 MeV bombarding energy. The high-spin level scheme has been built from the prompt gamma rays detected using the Euroball III array. It exhibits similarities with those of the neighbouring isotopes and isotones. All the band head configurations observed in the ^97-105Tc isotopes are identified from the behaviour of the rotational bands built on them. The single-proton states located around the Fermi level are discussed as a function of deformation of these nuclei. Received: 19 January 2001 / Accepted: 23 February 2001     

Nanoscale imaging of hydrogen and sodium in alteration layers of corroded glass using ToF-SIMS: Is an auxiliary sputtering ion beam necessary?

The hydrogen (H)/sodium (Na) interface is of great interest in glass corrosion research. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is one of the few techniques that can provide nanoscale H and Na imaging simultaneously. However, the optimized condition for ToF-SIMS imaging of H in glass is still unclear. In H depth profiling using ToF-SIMS, H background control is a key, in which an analysis ion beam and a sputtering ion beam work together in an interlaced mode to minimize it. Therefore, it is of great interest to determine if an auxiliary sputtering ion beam is also necessary to control H background in ToF-SIMS imaging of H. In this study, H imaging with and without auxiliary sputtering beams (Cs⁺, O₂⁺, and Ar_n⁺) was compared on a corroded international simple glass (ISG). It was surprising that the H/Na interface could be directly imaged using positive ion imaging without any auxiliary sputtering ion beam under a vacuum of 2 to 3 × 10⁻⁸ mbar. The H⁺ background was about 5% atomic percent on the pristine ISG glass, which was significantly lower than the H concentration in the alteration layer (~15%). Moreover, positive ion imaging could show distributions of other interesting species simultaneously, providing more comprehensive information of the glass corrosion. If an auxiliary O₂⁺ sputtering ion beam was used, the H⁺ background could be reduced but still higher than that in the depth profiling. Besides, this condition could cause significant loss of signal intensities due to strong surface charging.     

Synthesis of (±)-phthalascidin 622

A synthesis of functionalized phenolic α-amino-alcohols (±)-8 and (±)-16 as synthetic precursors of the catechol tetrahydroisoquinoline structure of phthalascidin 650 was disclosed. (±)-8 was prepared in 5 steps from the commercially available sesamol. Starting from 3-methyl catechol 5, 8 steps gave rise to the synthesis of phenolic α-amino-alcohol (±)-16 in 27% overall yield. This synthetic strategy involved the elaboration of fully functionalized aromatic aldehyde 13 and its transformation into a phenolic α-amino-alcohol (±)-16, through a Knoevenagel condensation, simultaneous reduction of nitroketene and ester functions, and hydrogenolysis of the benzyl protecting group. The pentacycle (±)-4 was obtained after 4 additional steps. The Pictet-Spengler cyclisation between the phenolic α-amino-alcohol (±)-16 and the N-protected α-amino-aldehyde 4 allowed to obtain (1,3′)-bis-tetrahydroisoquinoline 17 with N-methylated and N-Fmoc removed. The last step was a Swern oxidation allowing the expected intramolecular condensation.     

Identification of physical parameters in pressing of rapeseeds from the oil flux measurements

In this paper, we are interested in the study of an inverse problem that occurs during the pressing of rapeseeds, where some physical parameters influence on rapeseed oil extraction yield. Our objective is to identify the consolidation coefficient of the press cake, the inverse characteristic time of consolidation in press cake, and inside the rapeseed in order to increase the rapeseed oil extraction yield. Three questions will be addressed: the identifiability, the identification, and the stability of the inverse problem. Finally, we provide numerical results to confirm the theoretical results.     

New results on the superdeformed band in192Hg

New results on the¹⁹²Hg superdeformed band have been obtained with EUROGAM. The experiment has been performed with the¹⁶⁰Gd(³⁶S,4n) reaction at 159 MeV. Above 800 keV the γ-ray energies differ from the previously published ones. Thus the rise of the dynamical moment of inertia $\mathfrak{F}^{(2)} $ above ?ω=0.4 MeV is no longer observed. This is in better agreement with recent cranked Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov calculations.     

An application of discrete-event theory to truck dispatching

This article focuses on the dispatching problem of an oilsand excavation process subject to production objectives and specifications. Herein, we cast the truck dispatching task in a decision-making framework for determining solutions and helping a dispatcher to make decisions. In this paper, we apply the discrete-event formalism to investigate the dispatching of a large truck fleet. For this purpose, we examine the capabilities and limitations of two distinct theories: discrete-event system (DES) and vector discrete-event system (VDES). Despite their differences, both theories can be used to model the logical structure of the dispatching process. These theories also provide techniques for implementing specifications and representing solutions in a compact manner. The results of this paper demonstrate that current procedures and tools available for DES allow a broader range of techniques to be applied, thus increasing the likelihood of finding a suitable solution. This work was supported, in part, by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and PRECARN and associates. In addition, the first author was supported by NSERC, Fonds pour la formation de Chercheurs et l’Aide a la Recherche (FCAR), and Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS).     

Sous-dualités et noyaux (reproduisants) associés

A way to study non-Gaussian measures is to generalize Schwartz's theory of Hilbertian subspaces to the non-Hilbertian case. We initiate here a new theory based upon a given duality rather than an Hilbertian structure. Hence, we develop the concept of subduality of a locally convex vector space and of its associated kernel. We show in particular that to any subduality is associated a unique kernel whose image is dense in the subduality. The image of a subdality under a weakly continuous linear application is also given, which enables the definition of a vector space structure over the set of subdualities given a equivalence relation. We then exhibit a canonical representative. Finally, we study the particular case of subdualities of $\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{\Omega }}$ endowed with the product topology. To cite this article: X. Mary et al., C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 336 (2003).     

New Sol-Gel Route for Processing of PMN Thin Films

Pyrochlore free Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃ (PMN) thin films were prepared from mixed-metal precursors solutions using the sol-gel process. Lead acetate [Pb(CH₃COO)₂], magnesium acetate [Mg(CH₃COO)₂] and niobium ethoxide [Nb(C₂H₅O)₅] were used as starting materials, while 2-isopropoxy-ethanol was chosen as solvent. The reactivity of the precursors was investigated in order to understand and control the process and thus to prevent the contamination of the PMN with the pyrochlore phase. The solution was spin-coated on TiO₂/Pt/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si substrate. The thin films were characterized by SEM and XRD while dielectric measurements were performed on the bulk ceramic.