Impedance Control in Relativistic Electron Diodes with Externally Applied Prepulse

Low impedance relativistic electron accelerators currently produce nominal 50 ns pulses that are capable of power levels near 1 Terawatt at impedances near 1 Ohm. The time-dependent diode impedance characteristic plays a major role In efficiently coupling the pulse line power to an electron beam. In an effort to establish the desired accelerator impedance match early in the pulse, experimentalists have investigated cold cathode vacuum breakdown and subsequent space charge limited emission during the ~ 100 kV machine prepulse. This machine prepulse is due to capacitive coupling across the accelerator switches, and consequently cannot be independently studied and optimized. In this paper, a technique for externally introducing a typically 100 kV, low power conditioning pulse prior to the main pulse of a low impedance relativistic electron diode is described, along with techniques for reducing the machine prepulse to less than 5 kV. For various cathode geometries, the breakdown field, closure velocity, and time-dependent impedance established by this external prepulse is measured and compared with an empirical model of space charge limited emission from a hydro-dynamically expanding plasma. 3 Experimental evidence is presented that the high current accelerator impedance is effectively controlled by the relative time delay between the start of the prepulse and the main pulse.     

Kernels and <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-Kernels of <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis><Superscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">r</Emphasis></Superscript>-ary 1-Perfect Codes

The rank of a q-ary code C is the dimension of the subspace spanned by C. The kernel of a q-ary code C of length n can be defined as the set of all translations leaving C invariant. Some relations between the rank and the dimension of the kernel of q-ary 1-perfect codes, over as well as over the prime field , are established. Q-ary 1-perfect codes of length n=(q^m − 1)/(q − 1) with different kernel dimensions using switching constructions are constructed and some upper and lower bounds for the dimension of the kernel, once the rank is given, are established.Communicated by: I.F. Blake     

Automorphism free latin square graphs

In this paper, we show that there exists an automorphism free latin square graph of order n for all n ? 7 and that the number of such graphs goes to infinity with n. These results are then applied to the construction of automorphism free Steiner triple systems.     

Quantification of myo‐inositol, 1,5‐anhydro‐ D‐sorbitol,and D‐chiro‐inositol using high‐performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection in very small volume clinical samples

Inositol is a six‐carbon sugar alcohol and is one of nine biologically significant isomers of hexahydroxycyclohexane. Myo‐inositol is the primary biologically active form and is present in higher concentrations in the fetus and newborn than in adults. It is currently being examined for the prevention of retinopathy of prematurity in newborn preterm infants. A robust method for quantifying myo‐inositol (MI), D ‐chiro‐inositol (DCI) and 1,5‐anhydro‐ D ‐sorbitol (ADS) in very small‐volume (25 μL) urine, blood serum and/or plasma samples was developed. Using a multiple‐column, multiple mobile phase liquid chromatographic system with electrochemical detection, the method was validated with respect to (a) selectivity, (b) accuracy/recovery, (c) precision/reproducibility, (d) sensitivity, (e) stability and (f) ruggedness. The standard curve was linear and ranged from 0.5 to 30 mg/L for each of the three analytes. Above‐mentioned performance measures were within acceptable limits described in the Food and Drug Administration's Guidance for Industry: Bioanalytical Method Validation. The method was validated using blood serum and plasma collected using four common anticoagulants, and also by quantifying the accuracy and sensitivity of MI measured in simulated urine samples recovered from preterm infant diaper systems. The method performs satisfactorily measuring the three most common inositol isomers on 25 μL clinical samples of serum, plasma, milk, and/or urine. Similar performance is seen testing larger volume samples of infant formulas and infant formula ingredients. MI, ADS and DCI may be accurately tested in urine samples collected from five different preterm infant diapers if the urine volume is greater than 2–5 mL. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An anisotropic rotary diffusion model for fiber orientation in short- and long-fiber thermoplastics

The Folgar–Tucker model, which is widely-used to predict fiber orientation in injection-molded composites, accounts for fiber–fiber interactions using isotropic rotary diffusion. However, this model does not match all aspects of experimental fiber orientation data, especially for composites with long discontinuous fibers. This paper develops a fiber orientation model that incorporates anisotropic rotary diffusion. From kinetic theory we derive the evolution equation for the second-order orientation tensor, correcting some errors in earlier treatments. The diffusivity is assumed to depend on a second-order space tensor, which is taken to be a function of the orientation state and the rate of deformation. Model parameters are selected by matching the experimental steady-state orientation in simple shear flow, and by requiring stable steady states and physically realizable solutions. Also, concentrated fiber suspensions align more slowly with respect to strain than models based on Jeffery's equation, and we incorporate this behavior in an objective way. The final model is suitable for use in mold filling and other flow simulations, and it gives improved predictions of fiber orientation for injection molded long-fiber composites.