Sr2(AlTa)O6 thin films (2000–3000 Å) have been deposited on MgO (001) substrates using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). X-ray-diffraction analysis shows that the Sr2(AlTa)O6 grows with the c axis highly oriented normal to the substrate plane and very good in-plane epitaxy. The subsequently deposited YBa2Cu3O7−x films using PLD on Sr2(AlTa)O6 buffered MgO substrates exhibit excellent epitaxial growth with a narrow rocking curve width and a small φ scan peak width. The critical temperature Tc0 of 90–92 K has been achieved reproducibly and the critical current density is over 2.7×106 A/cm2 at 77 K.

In order to build high-temperature superconductor (HTS) multichip modules (MCMs), it is necessary to grow several epitaxial layers of YBCO that are separated by thick dielectric layers without seriously affecting the quality of the YBCO layers. In this work, we have successfully fabricated YBCO/YSZ/SiO2/YSZ/YBCO structures on single-crystal LaAlO3 substrates using a combination of pulsed laser deposition for the YBCO layers and ion-beam-assisted rf sputtering to obtain biaxially aligned YSZ intermediate layers. The bottom YBCO layer had a Tc∼89 K, Jc∼7.2×105 A/cm2 at 77 K, whereas the top YBCO layer had a Tc∼86 K, Jc∼6×105 A/cm2 at 77 K. The magnetic field and temperature dependence of Jc for the YBCO films in the multilayer have been obtained. The results for each of the YBCO layers within the YBCO/YSZ/SiO2/YSZ/YBCO structure are quite similar to those for a good quality single-layer YBCO film.

Small green and ripe mechanically harvested strawberries were processed into puree and combined with 60 and 80% sliced ripe fruit to determine the effects of holding after harvest, percent green fruit in puree, processing procedure and storage on quality of frozen sliced strawberries. Green and ripe fruit puree added to the sliced strawberries resulted in higher viscosity and lower ascorbic acid, total anthocyanins and red color as compared to packs with 100% sliced ripe fruit. The mixtures of sliced ripe fruit and up to 40% puree were rated acceptable by a sensory panel. Heating the puree may be beneficial to color during long-term storage. Holding of fresh strawberries for 24 hr at 24'C after cleaning decreased the ascorbic acid, viscosity of syrup and color of the frozen pack. Storage of the frozen product decreased ascorbic acid and color.