Individual and Multi Vortex Pinning in Systems with Periodic Pinning Arrays

We examine multi and individual vortex pinning in thin superconductors with periodic pinning arrays. For multi-vortex pinning we observe peaks in the critical current of equal magnitude at every matching field, while for individual vortex pinning we observe a sharp drop in the critical current after the first matching field in agreement with experiments. We examine the scaling of the critical current at commensurate and incommensurate fields for varied pinning strength and show that the depinning force at incommensurate fields decreases faster than at the commensurate fields.Comment: 4 figuure

Floating marine macro litter in the Black Sea: Toward baselines for large scale assessment

The Black Sea is a semi-enclosed basin subject to major anthropogenic pressures, including marine litter and plastic pollution. Due to numerous large rivers draining into the basin and a population settled along the coast, the region could accumulate significant amounts of floating litter over time. Until now, only limited field data were available, and litter quantities and distribution remained unknown. In this study, floating marine macro litter (FMML) was assessed at the regional Black Sea scale for the first time, showing relatively high litter densities across the basin that reached a weighted mean of 81.5 items/km(2). Monitoring data revealed an accumulation of floating items offshore in the eastern part of the basin, resembling on a small scale a "garbage patch', where litter items were trapped, showing elevated densities in comparison to their surrounding areas. Most of these items were made of plastic materials (ca. 96%) and included large numbers of plastic and poly-styrene fragments of small size ranges (2.5-10 cm). Harmonised field data collection through consistent and regular monitoring programmes across the region is essential to establish baselines and thresholds for large scale assessment at international level

FIVE YEAR OUTCOMES OF CERAMIC-ОN-CERAMIC AND CERAMIC-ОN-POLYETHYLENE BEARINGS IN HIP JOINT REPLACEMENT

In view of the increasing number of hip joint replacement volume there remains the key issue of improving prosthesis survivorship which directly depends on the friction couple. Material and methods. The authors have analyzed five year outcomes of two bearing types (head and insert) used in hip replacement: ceramic-on-ceramic (CoC) in 324 patients and ceramic-on-polyethylene (CoP) in 300 patients. Totally 550 patients were operated in the period starting 2010 till 2014, including 74 patients underwent bilateral hip replacement. The authors divided patients based on gender and also into three age groups: 20-40, 41-60 and 61-80 years old. The largest group comprised 156 women aged 41-60 years (28.4%). Additional grouping of patients was made based on gender, age and bearing diameter.36 mm diameter bearing was characterized of the most frequent use. Functional outcomes were assessed by Harris Hip Score. Statistical analysis was made with Statistica 10 software. Statistical significant was observed at p<0.05.Results.28 mm diameter bearing were rarely (19.5%) applied and mainly in women which is related to need for use of smaller acetabulum components and inability to implant a larger insert.36 mm diameter bearing were used most frequently, CoC articulation of36 mm was used in men in 34% of cases and in women – in 18.12% of cases.40 mm articulations were implanted in women two times less than in men which is related to a smaller diameter of acetabulum in women. Generally, CoC bearings were implanted more often in men which can be explained by a bigger social demand as well as a higher anti-luxation stability of large diameter bearings. Dislocations of implants occurred in 5 (0.91%) patients: in 4 patients with CoP bearingand in one patient with CoC articulation. Four revision procedures (0.64%) were made due to deep periprosthetic infection: two surgeries in each group. Harris Hip Score evaluation in CoC group demonstrated excellent and good outcomes in 99.2% of cases, and in CoP group – in 97.5% of cases.Conclusion. The authors observed no ceramic fractures or acoustic effects during 60 months follow up. It’s reasonable to increase CoC bearing diameter to achieve a better anti-luxation effect. CoC bearing selection should depend on patient’s activity and social demands but not only on the age. Based on study observations the authors forecast a higher survivorship of CoC couple within 15-20 years and expect to prove this conclusion in further studies

Superconducting Transition Temperature in Heterogeneous Ferromagnet-Superconductor Systems

We study the shift of the the superconducting transition temperature $T_c$ in ferromagnetic-superconducting bi-layers and in a superconducting film supplied a square array of ferromagnetic dots. We find that the transition temperature in these two cases change presumably in opposite direction and that its change is not too small. We extend these results to multilayer structures. We predict that rather small external magnetic field $\sim 10$ Oe can change the transition temperature of the bilayer by 10% .Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure

Создание эталонной установки на основе метода кулонометрии с контролируемым потенциалом в рамках совершенствования государственного первичного эталона ГЭТ 176 и ее измерительные возможности

The results of developing of reference installation, based on a controlled-potential coulometry, in the frame of improving the State primary standard of the units of mass (molar) fraction and mass (molar) concentration of a component in the liquid and solid substances and materials GET 176 are presented. The physical principles of controlled-potential coulometry, content and metrological characteristics of the developed installation are considered. Measurement results of copper, iron and lead contents in the certified reference materials of metals' solutions and CRM of brass produced by BAM, Germany, obtained using reference installation are given.Приведены результаты разработки эталонной установки, реализующей метод кулонометрии с контролируемым потенциалом, в рамках совершенствования государственного первичного эталона ГЭТ 176. Рассмотрены физические принципы метода кулонометрии, состав и метрологические характеристики установки. Приведены результаты измерений содержания меди, железа и свинца в стандартных образцах состава раствора ионов и стандартном образце состава бронзы производства ВАМ, Германия, полученные на эталонной установке в составе ГЭТ 17

Why Breakup of Photons and Pions into Forward Dijets Is so Different: Predictions from Nonlinear Nuclear k_t-factorization

Based on an approach to non-Abelian propagation of color dipoles in a nuclear medium we formulate a nonlinear k_t-factorization for the breakup of photons and pions into forward hard dijets in terms of the collective Weizs\"acker-Williams (WW) glue of nuclei. We find quite distinct practical consequences of nonlinear nuclear k_t-factorization for interactions of pointlike photons and non-pointlike pions. In the former case the large transverse momentum p_t of jets comes from the intrinsic momentum of quarks and antiquarks in the photon and nuclear effects manifest themselves as an azimuthal decorrelation with an acoplanarity momentum of the order of the nuclear saturation momentum Q_A. In the breakup of pions off free nucleons to the leading order in pQCD the spectator parton has a small transverse momentum and the hard dijet cross section is suppressed. In the breakup of pions off heavy nuclei the forward hard jets are predicted to be entirely decorrelated. We comment on the sensitivity of the pionic dijet cross section to the pion distribution amplitude. The predicted distinction between the breakup of photons and pions can be tested by the sphericity and thrust analysis of the forward hadronic system in the COMPASS experiment at CERN.Comment: 32 pages, 2 figures, RevTex

Superconducting Transition and Vortex Pinning in Nb Films Patterned with Nano-scale Hole-arrays

Nb films containing extended arrays of holes with 45-nm diameter and 100-nm spacing have been fabricated using anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) as substrate. Pronounced matching effects in the magnetization and Little-Parks oscillations of the superconducting critical temperature have been observed in fields up to 9 kOe. Flux pinning in the patterned samples is enhanced by two orders of magnitude as compared to unpatterned reference samples in applied fields exceeding 5 kOe. Matching effects are a dominant contribution to vortex pinning at temperatures as low as 4.2 K due to the extremely small spacing of the holes