Threshold electrical switching in As45Te55-xInx and As50Te50-xInx glasses

The electrical switching behaviour of As₄₅Te_55-xIn_x (5≤x≤15) and As₅₀Te_50-xIn_x (2.5≤x≤11.5) has been studied over a wide range of compositions. These glasses are found to exhibit threshold switching. The composition dependence of switching voltage (V_t) has been found to exhibit a change in slope and a local minimum at compositions x=10 and 12.5 for As₄₅Te_55-xIn_x and x=7.5 and 10.8 for As₅₀Te_50-xIn_x, respectively. The slope change in V_t verses x and the local minimum have been identified using two network topological effects, namely the rigidity percolation threshold and the chemical threshold. Received: 23 August 2001 / Accepted: 27 August 2001 / Published online: 11 February 2002     

NMR AND DFT STUDY OF Co-C BOND ACTIVATION MECHANISM IN VITAMIN B_(12) COMPOUNDS

This report focuses on a theoretical study of the cobalt-cabon bond activation mechanism in Vitamin B12, its co enzyme complexes, and model compounds such as cobalamins (Cbl), cobaloximes and cobalt porphyrins. In particular, emphasis is placed on the nucleotide loop and its role in the base on and base off mechanism.     

CP violation and extra dimensions

It is shown that new sources of CP violation can be generated in models with more than one extra dimension. In the supersymmetric models on the space-time , where the radius moduli have auxiliary vacuum expectation values and the supersymmetry breaking is mediated by the Kaluza–Klein states of the gauge supermultiplets, we analyze the gaugino masses and trilinear couplings for two scenarios and obtain the result that there exist relative CP violating phases among the gaugino masses and trilinear couplings. Received: 10 October 2001 / Published online: 20 December 2001     

Single chain force spectroscopy - Reading the sequence of HP protein models

We study the elastic properties of single A/B random copolymer chains, with a specific sequence and use them as theoretical model for so called HP proteins. HP proteins carry hydrophilic (P) and hydrophobic (H) monomers. We predict a rich structure in the force-extension relations which can be attributed to the information in the sequence. The variational method is used to probe local minima on the path of stretching and releasing for the chain molecules. At a given force, we find multiple configurations which are separated by energy barriers. A collapsed globular configuration consists of several domains which unravel cooperatively. Upon stretching, the unfolding path shows a stepwise pattern corresponding to the unfolding of each domain. While releasing, several cores can be created simultaneously in the middle of the chain, resulting in a different path of collapse. The long-range interactions and stiffness of the chain simplify the potential landscape given by the disorder in sequence. Received 5 March 2002 / Received in final form 16 May 2002 Published online 13 August 2002     

Controlling global stochasticity of Hamiltonian systems by nonlinear perturbation

A method of controlling global stochasticity in Hamiltonian systems by applying nonlinear perturbation is proposed. With the well-known standard map we demonstrate that this control method can convert global stochasticity into regular motion in a wide chaotic region for arbitrary initial condition, in which the control signal remains very weak after a few kicks. The system in which chaos has been controlled approximates to the original Hamiltonian system, and this approach appears robust against small external noise. The mechanism underlying this high control efficiency is intuitively explained. Received 15 January 2002 Published online 6 June 2002     

Constraint Molecular Dynamics and results on isotopic distributions produced in heavy ion collision — The Sn + Ni systems

The Constraint Molecular Dynamics approach is illustrated together with calculation on different heavy ion collisions. In particular the charge-mass distribution produced in the collision ¹²⁴Sn + ⁶⁴Ni and ¹¹²Sn + ⁵⁸Ni at 35 MeV/nucleon is discussed. By comparing the Y = (N ? Z)/A distributions for fragments produced in central collisions it results that this observable can be sensitive to the dynamic effects induced on the two systems by the different charge/mass ratio.     

Supersymmetry of FRW Barotropic Cosmologies

Barotropic FRW cosmologies are presented from the standpoint of nonrelativistic supersymmetry. First, we reduce the barotropic FRW system of differential equations to simple harmonic oscillator differential equations. Employing the factorization procedure, the solutions of the latter equations are divided into the two classes of bosonic (nonsingular) and fermionic (singular) cosmological solutions. We next introduce a coupling parameter denoted by K between the two classes of solutions and obtain barotropic cosmologies with dissipative features acting on the scale factors and spatial curvature of the universe. The K-extended FRW equations in comoving time are presented in explicit form in the low coupling regime. The standard barotropic FRW cosmologies correspond to the dissipationless limit K = 0.     

Direct measurement of fluid velocity gradients at a wall by PIV image processing with stereo reconstruction

Velocity gradient is typically estimated in Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) by differentiating a measured velocity field, which amplifies noise in the measured velocities. If gradients near a boundary are sought, such noise is usually greater than in bulk fluid, because of small tracer displacement, uncertainty in the effective positions of velocity vectors, intense deformation of tracer patterns, and laser reflection. We consider here a modified form of the Particle Image Distortion (PID) method todirectly calculate velocity gradients at a fixed wall, and refer it as “PIV/IG” (“Interface Gradiometry”). Results from synthetic 2D PIV images suggest our method achieves higher SNR and accuracy than velocity differentiation. Also, we have developed a procedure to reconstruct three-dimensional velocity gradient at a fixed wall the two non-zero components from PIV/IG data obtained in stereo views; these equations simplify considerably thanks to the no-slip condition. Experimental data from the bottom wall of turbulent open channel flow appear to suffer from a form of pixel locking. As with standard PIV, this underlines the importance of adequate tracer diameter in the images, sufficient seeding density, and of dynamic range of the camera sensor.     

Effect of hardness and composition gradients on Barkhausen emission in case hardened steel

The effect of gradients in hardness, structure and composition in the surface layers on magnetic Barkhausen noise (MBN) was investigated in two widely used low alloy steels. One material was case hardened by induction hardening. The other was case carburised. Similar hardness profiles were produced by the two treatments. It was found that the variation in structure and hardness through the case in the induction-hardened steel had a minor effect on the MBN profile. In contrast, the inhomogeneity in the case-carburised material showed up clearly. This took the form of a broadened or two-peak MBN profile. When the surface layer containing the case was removed by etching, the broadened profile was replaced by a profile with a single peak. It is concluded that the shape and position of the MBN profile is significantly affected when a gradient in microstructure is induced by a gradient in carbon content. On the other hand, a gradient in microstructure induced by heat treatment with a constant carbon level has much less affect on the MBN profile for the induction-hardened steel.     

Reductions in overshoot following intense sound exposures

Overshoot refers to the poorer detectability of brief signals presented soon after the onset of a masking noise compared to those presented after longer delays. In the present experiment, brief tonal signals were presented 2 or 190 ms following the onset of a broadband masker that was 200 ms in duration. These two conditions of signal delay were tested before and after a series of exposures to a tone intense enough to induce temporary threshold shift (TTS). The magnitude of the overshoot was reduced after the exposure when a TTS of at least 10 dB was induced, but not when smaller amounts of TTS were induced. The reduction in overshoot was due to a decrease in the masked thresholds with the 2-ms delay; masked thresholds with the 190-ms delay were not different pre- and post-exposure. The implication is that the mechanisms responsible for the normal overshoot effect are temporarily inactivated by the same stimulus manipulations that produce a mild exposure-induced hearing loss. Thus the result is the paradox that exposure to intense sounds can produce a loss of signal detectability in certain stimulus conditions and a simultaneous improvement in detectability in other stimulus conditions.