Propagation of avalanches in Mn12-acetate: magnetic deflagration

Local time-resolved measurements of fast reversal of the magnetization of single crystals of Mn12-acetate indicate that the magnetization avalanche spreads as a narrow interface that propagates through the crystal at a constant velocity that is roughly 2 orders of magnitude smaller than the speed of sound. We argue that this phenomenon is closely analogous to the propagation of a flame front (deflagration) through a flammable chemical substance.     

Intrinsic fluorescence polarization of amniotic fluid: II. Toward a noninvasive method for the determination of fetal lung maturity

The present study compares two methods for the determination of fetal lung maturity: the novel intrinsic fluorescence polarization ratio (IFPR) and the commercial TDx-FLMII. Amniotic fluid (AF) samples were collected from 69 women during the second and third trimesters of singleton pregnancies. Thirty-three samples were tested for IFPR only after centrifugation, and the rest were examined both before and after centrifugation. Of the latter 33 samples, 29 were assessed for lung maturity with the TDx-FLMII method as well. The results showed that IFPR values decreased with the advance in gestational age (r = 0.77, p < 0.05, n = 69). A significant correlation was found between IFPR of centrifuged and noncentrifuged samples (r = 0.94, p < 0.05, n = 36). A significant correlation was demonstrated between IFPR and TDx-FLMII values of centrifuged (r = 0.75, p < 0.05, n = 29) and noncentrifuged (r = 0.63, p < 0.05, n = 29) samples and moreover, samples considered mature by TDx-FLMII had low values of IFPR (n = 10). It can be concluded that the IFPR method can utilize noncentrifuged AF, thus suggested as a potential noninvasive method.     

Multi-parameter evaluation of fast sol–gel process by terahertz measurements

We present a feasibility study to apply terahertz (THz) spectroscopy and THz imaging as non-destructive diagnostic tools for sol–gel analysis, manufacturing and quality control. By performing THz spectroscopy on liquid and solid samples we were able to follow several key parameters during the sol–gel formation process and of the final product. Sol–gel transformations were monitored by THz absorption, whereas density changes have been observed through changes in refractive indices. Time domain spectroscopy (TDS), both in transmission and reflection geometries, was used to monitor the properties of fast sol–gel resins. THz imaging of gold coated, thin-film sol–gel enables us to determine inhomogeneities and defects in their internal structure. We demonstrated that THz spectroscopy can be implemented as an online analytical tool for multi-parameter evaluation of the sol–gel process during fabrication, and of the final product.     

Application of the generalized internal reference method for the characterization of parameters causing drift in inductively-coupled plasma emission spectrometry

Drift in signals limits the performance of inductively-coupled plasma (i.c.p.) emission spectrometry. The generalized internal reference method was applied to deconvolute the drift of an i.c.p. system. The plasma parameters were correlated to the drift components and the error boundary for the method was found. In the system studied, it was found that fluctuations in the nebulizer uptake rate were responsible for short-term signal changes. Long-term signal drift was caused mainly by flow variations of both cooling gas and aerosol carrier gas. The incident power to the plasma was found to be stable compared to other sources of drift. The method was found to be adequate for evaluating the origins of i.c.p. drift.     

The consistency with CH of some consequences of Martin’s axiom plus2^{\aleph _0 } > \aleph _1

We present here a (weak) axiom which implies some of the consequences of MA, but is consistent with GCH. We use the method of Jensen in his proof of consis (ZFC+GCH+SH). The third author wishes to thank the United States—Israel Binational Foundation for partially supporting this research by Grant 1110.     

The Budan-Fourier theorem for splines

The Budan-Fourier theorem for polynomials connects the number of zeros in an interval with the number of sign changes in the sequence of successive derivatives evaluated at the end-points. An extension is offered to splines with knots of arbitrary multiplicities, in which case the connection involves the number of zeros of the highest derivative. The theorem yields bounds on the number of zeros of splines and is a valuable tool in spline interpolation and approximation with boundary conditions.     

The de-Rham theorem and Shapiro lemma for Schwartz functions on Nash manifolds

In this paper we continue our work on Schwartz functions and generalized Schwartz functions on Nash (i.e. smooth semi-algebraic) manifolds. Our first goal is to prove analogs of the de-Rham theorem for de-Rham complexes with coefficients in Schwartz functions and generalized Schwartz functions. Using that we compute the cohomologies of the Lie algebra g of an algebraic group G with coefficients in the space of generalized Schwartz sections of G-equivariant bundle over a G-transitive variety M. We do it under some assumptions on topological properties of G and M. This computation for the classical case is known as the Shapiro lemma.