Interfacial dynamics in transport-limited dissolution

Various model problems of ``transport-limited dissolution'' in two dimensions are analyzed using time-dependent conformal maps. For diffusion-limited dissolution (reverse Laplacian growth), several exact solutions are discussed for the smoothing of corrugated surfaces, including the continuous analogs of ``internal diffusion-limited aggregation'' and ``diffusion-limited erosion''. A class of non-Laplacian, transport-limited dissolution processes are also considered, which raise the general question of when and where a finite solid will disappear. In a case of dissolution by advection-diffusion, a tilted ellipse maintains its shape during collapse, as its center of mass drifts obliquely away from the background fluid flow, but other initial shapes have more complicated dynamics.Comment: 5 pages, 4 fig

Novel Regime of Operation for Superconducting Quantum Interference Filters

A new operating regime of the Superconducting Quantum Interference Filter (SQIF) is investigated. The voltage to magnetic field response function, V(H), is determined by a Fraunhofer dependence of the critical current and magnetic flux focusing effect in Josephson junctions (F-mode). For SQIF-arrays made of high-Tc superconducting bicrystal Josephson junctions the F-mode plays a predominant role in the voltage-field response V(H). The relatively large superconducting loops of the SQIF are used for inductive coupling to the external input circuit. It is shown that the output noise of a SQIF-array measured with a cooled amplifier in the 1-2 GHz range is determined by the slope of the V(H) characteristic. Power gain and saturation power were evaluated using low frequency SQIF parameters. Finally, we consider the influence of the spread in the parameters of Josephson junctions in the SQIF-array on the V(H) characteristic of the whole structure.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Dynamics of ice-rock barriers under conditions of freezing of filtering rocks

Nonstationary heat transport under conditions of freezing of filtering soils is studied using a mathematical model which takes into account an arbitrary distribution of sources of cold. © 1987 Plenum Publishing Corporation

Innovative ways to control dust and explosion safety of mine workings

Ensuring dust and explosion safety during underground coal mining is one of the most important tasks of industrial safety and labor protection departments. The main method of preventing explosions of coal dust settled in mine workings is to process them with stone dust (rock dusting). The traditional methods of quality control of rock dusting include radioisotope, optical and chemical methods. To implement them, the devices are equipped with environmentally harmful radioactive elements, expensive optical sensors, desiccants and replaceable flasks with chemical reagents, which increases the cost of analysis and its duration. The measurement error of these devices is 10 % or more. The main purpose of the study is to develop and substantiate a new method for monitoring the dust and explosion safety of mine workings, which will be devoid of the disadvantages of the methods mentioned above. It is proposed to evaluate the quality of rock-dust distribution by a fundamentally new way – thermogravimetric. The method was tested on the dust of coal mines in Kuzbass and the Vorkuta basin, including dust samples taken in mines with actual explosions. The article presents the results of experimental studies of the processes of thermal destruction of coal and stone dust mixtures. The non-overlapping intervals of the thermogravimetric reaction are identified: moisture yield (35-132 °С); volatile matter yield from coal (380-580 °С); thermal degradation of limestone with carbon dioxide yield (650-850 °С). Methods and mathematical dependencies for processing significant and qualitative identification characteristics of thermogravimetric curves in determining the content of non-combustible components in a sample of mine dust are considered

Morphological changes in the brain in liver cirrhosis of alcoholic and viral etiology

Background. Hepatic encephalopathy is an actual problem of modern medicine. However, its pathogenesis and histological picture are currently insufficiently studied. Less is known about the impact of the nature of primary liver disease on pathogenesis and histological picture of hepatic encephalopathy. This determines the relevance of further morphological studies of the brain in the late stages of liver cirrhosis of various etiologies.The aim. To establish and compare the morphological changes in the brain in alcoholic liver cirrhosis and viral (hepatitis C virus (HCV)) cirrhosis.Materials and methods. The morphological study of the brain of 40 deceased in outcome of HCV-associated cirrhosis and 23 patients died in outcome of chronic alcoholism was carried out. Histological changes in various parts of the brain were studied using survey and elective stains. The immunohistochemical study of HCV NS3 and CD68 expression in different brain regions was performed in cases of HCV-infection.Results. The changes of neurons, glial cells and cerebral microvessels underlie in the basis of morphological picture of brain damage in both studied groups underlie that corresponds to the “classical” model of hepatic encephalopathy pathogenesis. At the same time, a number of morphological features were observed. The most prominent differences concerned the manifestations of the glial reaction. The productive changes of macroglial cells with the appearance of multiple Alzheimer’s astrocytes type 2 as well as spongious changes in subcortical white matter dominated in the observations of alcoholic cirrhosis. In contrast, microglia cells reaction (microgliosis) in white matter was noticed in HCV-associated cirrhosis.Conclusions. The differences in histological signs of brain in the terminal stages of liver disease of viral and alcoholic etiology are shown. They broaden current idea of morphological picture of hepatic encephalopathy, and may be used to study its pathogenesis

A combined theoretical and experimental study of the low temperature properties of BaZrO3

Low temperature properties of BaZrO3 are revealed by combining experimental techniques (X-ray diffraction, neutron scattering and dielectric measurements) with theoretical first-principles-based methods (total energy and linear response calculations within density functional theory, and effective Hamiltonian approaches incorporating/neglecting zero-point phonon vibrations). Unlike most of the perovskite systems, BaZrO3 does not undergo any (long-range-order) structural phase transition and thus remains cubic and paraelectric down to 2 K, even when neglecting zero-point phonon vibrations. On the other hand, these latter pure quantum effects lead to a negligible thermal dependency of the cubic lattice parameter below ~ 40 K. They also affect the dielectricity of BaZrO3 by inducing an overall saturation of the real part of the dielectric response, for temperatures below ~ 40 K. Two fine structures in the real part, as well as in the imaginary part, of dielectric response are further observed around 50-65 K and 15 K, respectively. Microscopic origins (e.g., unavoidable defects and oxygen octahedra rotation occurring at a local scale) of such anomalies are suggested. Finally, possible reasons for the facts that some of these dielectric anomalies have not been previously reported in the better studied KTaO3 and SrTiO3 incipient ferroelectrics are also discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Physical Review

Frequency and size dependence of ac Josephson effect in Nb/Au/YBCO heterojunctions

Abstract. High frequency dynamics of Nb/Au/YBaCuO heterojunctions on tilted NdGaO 3 substrates have been studied. The both integer and non-integer Shapiro steps have been observed at mm-wave frequencies. Unconventional dependence of the critical current and the amplitudes of Shapiro steps vs. applied microwave power have been registered. Observed behavior deviates from existing theories of Josephson effect for junctions made from conventional or d-wave superconductors. Although the maximal size of the heterojunctions was smaller than the Josephson penetration depth, calculated from an averaged value of the critical current density, the experimental magnetic field dependences I C (H) deviate from the Fraunhofer pattern, pointing on non-uniform distribution of superconducting current density. Experimental results could be speculatively explained by origination of self-induced fractional magnetic vortices, which may take place in a junction where the amplitude and the phase of superconducting current alternate significantly over the junction area. Introducing a new lengthscale, which is much smaller than the Josephson penetration depth, the fractional vortices are considered, modifying the high frequency dynamics, namely the ac Josephson effect. Experimental results have been analyzed taking into account the second harmonic of superconducting current-phase relation and the influence of heterojunction capacitance. Introduction It is known that in metal-oxide superconductors with high critical temperature, for example in YBCO, the d-wave symmetry of superconducting order parameter (D-superconductor) is predominant one in the basal (a-b) plan

Thomson scattering diagnostics at the Globus M2 tokamak

The paper is devoted to the Thomson scattering (TS) diagnostics recently developed for the Globus-M2 spherical tokamak and prototyping the ITER divertor TS diagnostics. The distinctive features of the system are the use of spectrometers, acquisition system and lasers that meet the base requirements for ITER TS diagnostics. The paper describes the diagnostic system that allows precise measurements of TS signals, as well as the results of the first measurements of electron temperature and density in both central region of the plasma column and scrape-off layer. The system provides measurements of electron temperature $T_{e}$ in the range of 5 eV to 5 keV and density $n_{e}$ in the range of $5{\cdot}10^{17}{\div}3.25{\cdot}10^{20} m^{-3}$. The use of two ITER-grade probing lasers of different wavelengths (Nd:YAG 1064.5 nm and Nd:YLF 1047.3 nm) allows reliable measurement of $T_{e}$ in multi-colour mode, i.e., assuming that spectral calibration is unknown