Permanent magnet (PM) excited synchronous machines used in modern drives for electro-mobiles suffer in high speed regions from the limited battery-voltage. The field weakening requires designing machines with reduced power conversion properties or increasing the size of the power converter. A new concept of such a machine features PM excitation, single-tooth winding and an additional circumferential excitation coil fixed on the stator in the axial center of the machine. By the appropriate feeding of this coil, the amplitude of the voltage effective excitation field can be varied from zero to values above those of the conventional PM-machines. The capability of reducing the excitation field to zero is an important safety aspect in case of failing of the feeding convertor.

The paper deals with the accuracy of measurements of strains (elongation and necking) and stresses (tensile strength) in static room-temperature tensile strength tests. We present methods for calculating measurement errors and uncertainties, and discuss the determination of the limiting errors of the quantities measured for circular and rectangular specimens, which is illustrated with examples.

This study investigates the corrosion characteristics of Q235 steel and 16Mn steel in the sulfur-containing alkaline solution. The composition and the morphology of the corrosion products were analyzed by XPS and SEM respectively. The electrochemical behavior of Q235 steel and 16Mn steel was evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization curve and EIS. The results indicated that the corrosion rate of Q235 steel is greater than 16Mn steel in the early corrosion. Pitting and selective corrosion appeared on the surface of the two steels, and the surface product layer was granular and defective. XPS and EDS indicate that the structurally stable iron oxide is formed on the surface of the two steels. Electrochemical results show the corrosion kinetics of Q235 steel and 16Mn steel are simultaneously controlled by the charge transfer and ion diffusion, and the formation mechanism of corrosion products was clarified.

The paper presents a low noise voltage FET amplifier for low frequency noise measurements. It was built using two stages of an op amp transimpedance amplifier. To reduce voltage noise, eight-paralleled low noise discrete JFETs were used in the first stage. The designed amplifier was then compared to commercial ones. Its measured value of voltage noise spectral density is around 24 nV/√ Hz, 3 nV/√ Hz, 0.95 nV/√Hz and 0.6 nV/√ Hz at the frequency of 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 Hz, respectively. A −3 dB frequency response is from ∼ 20 mHz to ∼ 600 kHz.

We present the development of a technique for studying laser-induced magnetization dynamics, based on inductive measurement. The technique could provide a simple tool for studying laser-induced demagnetization in thin films and associated processes, such as Gilbert damping and magnetization precession. It was successfully tested using a nanosecond laser and NiZn ferrite samples and – after further development – it is expected to be useful for observation of ultra-fast demagnetization. The combination of optical excitation and inductive measurement enables to study laser-induced magnetization dynamics in both thin and several micrometre thick films and might be the key to a new principle of ultrafast broadband UV–IR pulse detection.

Newcastle disease (ND) is a highly contagious and economically important disease in the poultry industry caused by avian avulavirus-1, historically known as Newcastle disease virus (NDV). Control of ND primarily relies on prophylactic vaccination of flocks, and many vaccines are available on the market, both conventional and more recently introduced new generation recombinant types. To assess the protection level achieved by vaccination ELISA tests are typically used, they also are to track an infection with field strains in non-vaccinated flocks. Special modifications of ELISA can be used as a screening tool to detect infection in flocks vaccinated with new generation vaccines. In this study, we have developed an ELISA test for the detection of antibodies against the nucleoprotein (NP) of NDV and for differentiation of chickens vaccinated with commercial and prototype in-house recombinant vector vaccines from those infected with field NDV strains. The NP gene of LaSota NDV strain expressed in a baculovirus vector was used as a coating antigen in the ELISA. The developed test was optimized, validated and compared to other serological tests. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of recombinant NP protein-based ELISA were respectively 96.1%, 96.3%, and 96.2%. Inter-rater (kappa) agreement between the NP-ELISA and the gold standard HI test was calculated to be 0.995. In our comparisons, commercially available ELISA tests revealed different specificities ranging from 95.5–100% and sensitivities at variance, ranging from 90.1 to 99.0%. A high level of maternally derived antibodies was measured in the serum of 1-day-old broilers in the NP-ELISA assay. These antibodies had disappeared and were undetected at 3, 5 and 6 weeks post-vaccination but birds became positive again at 2 weeks after control infection with a velogenic NDV strain. In SPF chickens, antibodies against NP protein were detected only after a challenge. The recombinant NP protein-based ELISA test is sensitive, specific and accurate when compared to the gold standard HI test and commercially available kits. Moreover, the method could be also used for the differentiation between vaccinated and infected birds.