Field and current distributions and ac losses in a bifilar stack of superconducting strips

In this paper I first analytically calculate the magnetic-field and sheet-current distributions generated in an infinite stack of thin superconducting strips of thickness d, width 2a >> d, and arbitrary separation D when adjacent strips carry net current of magnitude I in opposite directions. Each strip is assumed to have uniform critical current density Jc, critical sheet-current density Kc = Jc d, and critical current Ic = 2a Kc, and the distribution of the current density within each strip is assumed to obey critical-state theory. I then derive expressions for the ac losses due to magnetic-flux penetration both from the strip edges and from the top and bottom of each strip, and I express the results in terms of integrals involving the perpendicular and parallel components of the magnetic field. After numerically evaluating the ac losses for typical dimensions, I present analytic expressions from which the losses can be estimated.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figure

Measurement properties of the Minimal Insomnia Symptom Scale (MISS) in an elderly population in Sweden

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Insomnia is common among elderly people and associated with poor health. The Minimal Insomnia Symptom Scale (MISS) is a three item screening instrument that has been found to be psychometrically sound and capable of identifying insomnia in the general population (20-64 years). However, its measurement properties have not been studied in an elderly population. Our aim was to test the measurement properties of the MISS among people aged 65 + in Sweden, by replicating the original study in an elderly sample.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data from a cross-sectional survey of 548 elderly individuals were analysed in terms of assumptions of summation of items, floor/ceiling effects, reliability and optimal cut-off score by means of ROC-curve analysis and compared with self-reported insomnia criteria.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Corrected item-total correlations ranged between 0.64-0.70, floor/ceiling effects were 6.6/0.6% and reliability was 0.81. ROC analysis identified the optimal cut-off score as ≥7 (sensitivity, 0.93; specificity, 0.84; positive/negative predictive values, 0.256/0.995). Using this cut-off score, the prevalence of insomnia in the study sample was 21.7% and most frequent among women and the oldest old.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Data support the measurement properties of the MISS as a possible insomnia screening instrument for elderly persons. This study make evident that the MISS is useful for identifying elderly people with insomnia-like sleep problems. Further studies are needed to assess its usefulness in identifying clinically defined insomnia.</p

Scientific rationale for Uranus and Neptune <i>in situ</i> explorations

The ice giants Uranus and Neptune are the least understood class of planets in our solar system but the most frequently observed type of exoplanets. Presumed to have a small rocky core, a deep interior comprising ∼70% heavy elements surrounded by a more dilute outer envelope of H2 and He, Uranus and Neptune are fundamentally different from the better-explored gas giants Jupiter and Saturn. Because of the lack of dedicated exploration missions, our knowledge of the composition and atmospheric processes of these distant worlds is primarily derived from remote sensing from Earth-based observatories and space telescopes. As a result, Uranus's and Neptune's physical and atmospheric properties remain poorly constrained and their roles in the evolution of the Solar System not well understood. Exploration of an ice giant system is therefore a high-priority science objective as these systems (including the magnetosphere, satellites, rings, atmosphere, and interior) challenge our understanding of planetary formation and evolution. Here we describe the main scientific goals to be addressed by a future in situ exploration of an ice giant. An atmospheric entry probe targeting the 10-bar level, about 5 scale heights beneath the tropopause, would yield insight into two broad themes: i) the formation history of the ice giants and, in a broader extent, that of the Solar System, and ii) the processes at play in planetary atmospheres. The probe would descend under parachute to measure composition, structure, and dynamics, with data returned to Earth using a Carrier Relay Spacecraft as a relay station. In addition, possible mission concepts and partnerships are presented, and a strawman ice-giant probe payload is described. An ice-giant atmospheric probe could represent a significant ESA contribution to a future NASA ice-giant flagship mission

Microphysical and optical properties of Mineral Dust Aerosols-Investigations during the Mineral Dust campaign 2008 at the AIDA facility, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe

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Limiteurs de courant supraconducteurs

50-60 Hz electrical engineering represents a considerable potential market for superconductors. Fault current limitation will probably be the first among the possible applications, to find an industrial opening. Exploited features are very specific of the superconductors, namely the large contrast existing between an on-state with high current density and an off-state with high electrical resistivity, obtained as soon as the current reaches a specified level. It thus becomes possible to warrant the grid from any current excursion over a specified value, with considerable impact on the protection and dimensions of conductors and devices, and increased possibilities of interconnexion. The current limiter technology is rather complex ; different structures have been proposed and tested ; they are resistive or inductive, based on low-$T_{\rm c}$ or high-$T_{\rm c}$ superconductors. The most advanced candidate to date is a resistive structure, using conductors made of ultra-fine niobium-titanium filaments in a coppemickel matrix, whose essential features are described hereunder.L'électrotechnique industrielle à 50-60 Hz représente pour les supraconducteurs un marché potentiel considérable. Parmi les applications envisageables, la limitation des courants de défaut sera probablement la première à trouver un essor industriel. Les propriétés mises en jeu sont tout à fait spécifiques des supraconducteurs, à savoir le grand contraste existant entre un état passant à haute densité de courant, et un état bloquant à haute résistivité, obtenu dès que le courant dépasse un seuil donné. Il est ainsi possible de garantir le réseau contre toute excursion du courant au-delà d'une valeur spécifiée, avec un impact important sur sa protection, son dimensionnement, son degré d'interconnexion. La technologie du limiteur de courant est assez complexe ; diverses structures ont été proposées et testées, résistives ou inductives, à base de supraconducteurs BT$_{\rm c}$ ou HT$_{\rm c}$. Le candidat le plus avancé à ce jour est une structure de type résistif, utilisant des conducteurs à filaments ultra-fins de niobium-titane et à matrice de cupronickel, dont on donne ici les caractéristiques essentielles

Microphysical and optical properties of Mineral Dust Aerosols-Investigations during the Mineral Dust campaign 2008 at the AIDA facility, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe

International audienc