Moisture diffusion modeling – A critical review

Techniques for enforcing the continuity of solute field in heterogeneous solvent under the conditions of steady temperature-humidity, steady temperature but dynamic humidity, and dynamic temperature are reviewed. The continuity of the wetness technique is justified on the principle of equality of chemical potential. The partial pressure technique is one of the many possible forms of pseudo techniques that can be derived from the wetness technique. The direct concentration technique is fundamentally flaw. The peridynamic technique in its original form is restricted to homogeneous solvent. The saturated concentration of solute in solvents decreases with increasing temperature; the rate of change with temperature differs between solvents and this leads to discontinuity of wetness along the interface of solvents. Continuity of wetness at the interface may be enforced using the intervention technique, the internal source technique, or the explicit finite difference scheme. These three techniques have been mutually validated in a reported study.     

Microwave effects of UV light exposure of a GaN HEMT: Measurements and model extraction

This paper presents an experimental investigation on the microwave performance of a GaN HEMT subject to UV light exposure. The device, having 0.25 μm gate length and 100 μm gate width, has been characterized by measuring its DC performance, linear scattering parameters, noise parameters in the 2–26 GHz frequency range, either in dark condition and under CW light exposure at 375 nm. Clear variations of the GaN HEMT performance related to the charge generation and the relevant threshold voltage shift within the semiconductor layers are recognizable in the reported results. The scattering parameters and the noise parameters are affected in a similar way as it occurs in GaAs HEMT's under optical irradiation in the visible range. A circuit model extraction has then been performed to analyze more deeply the effects of the UV exposure. The observed changes of the noise parameters might be ascribed to the effects of the increased gate conduction under illumination and have been efficiently modeled by an additional resistor between the internal gate and source terminals with an assigned noise temperature of 3053 °C.     

Turkish validation of the Game Transfer Phenomena Scale (GTPS): Measuring altered perceptions,automatic mental processes and actions and behaviours associated with playing video games

Studies on Game Transfer Phenomena (GTP) have demonstrated that experiencing altered sensorial perceptions, automatic thoughts and behaviours after playing video games are relatively common phenomena. The aim of this paper is twofold: (i) to validate the Turkish version of the GTP scale (GTPS), and (ii) to examine the prevalence and the relation between the various dimensions of GTP (e.g., visual perceptions, thoughts, behaviours) and video game players’ individual characteristics (e.g., demographics, gaming habits). A total of 954 frequent players were recruited online. Independently of the different samples used in the original validation of the GTPS and the current study, the findings obtained via confirmatory factor analysis showed that the GTPS-Turkish is reliable and valid and proved to be adequate for measuring GTP. A total of 99% of the players in the sample had experienced some type of GTP. Moreover, the correlational, univariate and multivariate analyses showed associations between various video game player characteristics and GTP. The most remarkable finding was that the prevalence of GTP was higher among minors than adults.     

Optimization of the metakaolin geopolymer preparation for maximized ammonium adsorption capacity

Geopolymers are functional materials that can be used in various environmental applications such as adsorbents in pollutant removal from wastewaters. Metakaolin geopolymer (MK-GP) has been proven to be especially suitable for ammonium (NH₄ ⁺) removal. In this research, the optimal reagent and raw material ratios in the preparation of MK-GP in terms of NH₄ ⁺ adsorption capacity were investigated. The response surface methodology based on the face-centered central composite design was used to optimize the levels of three factors: the amounts of hydroxide, silicate, and metakaolin. In addition, the effect of Na or K as the charge-balancing cation was studied. Empirical models were fitted to the experimental data using multiple linear regression. The significance of the models was confirmed by means of analysis of variance. Optimal NH₄ ⁺ removal efficiency was achieved when the amounts of hydroxide and silicate were maximized, the amount of metakaolin was minimized, and Na-based reagents were used. These trends are most likely a result of optimized conversion of metakaolin into MK-GP.     

Assessment of institutions,scholars, and contributions on agile software development (2001–2012)

The number of scholarly publications on agile software development has grown significantly in recent years. Several researchers reviewed and attempted to synthesize studies on agile software development. However, no work has ranked the contributions of scholars and institutions to publications using a thorough process. This study presents findings on top publications, institutions, and scholars in the agile software development field from 2001 to 2012 based on the publication of such works in Science Citation Index journals. This paper highlights the key outlets for agile research and summarizes the most influential researchers and institutions as well as the most studied research areas. This study concludes by providing directions for future research.     

Measurement system escape and overkill rate analysis

In 100% inspection, measurement errors are unavoidable. Due to these errors, acceptable products are sometimes rejected (overkill) and defective products are accepted (escape). Overkill increases production costs, while escape is a source of customer dissatisfaction. This study presents a model for calculating overkill and escape rates using process and measurement system performance data. A practical example of applying the model is also presented to calculate gage reproducibility and repeatability requirements for different production settings. Industrial managers and quality engineers can utilize the results of this study to calculate escape and overkill rates of their production systems, and to assess and improve their processes.     

High-throughput optimization and fabrication of Bi2Te2.7Se0.3-based artificially tilted multilayer thermoelectric devices

Artificially tilted multilayer thermoelectric devices (ATMTDs) have attracted growing attention due to their ease in miniaturization and high flexibility in device design. However, most of these devices are inefficient due to the lack of effective strategy to optimize their material matching and geometrical configurations. Herein, a high-throughput optimization approach is employed to screen high-performance Bi₂Te_2.7Se_0.3-based ATMTDs from a material genome database covering 230 kinds of candidates. 14 kinds of ATMTDs are found to have ZT_zx,max values exceeding 0.3 and tilt angles greater than 15°. Bi_0.1Sb_1.9Te₃/Bi₂Te_2.7Se_0.3 ATMTD is screened out and fabricated because of its excellent transverse figure of merit, large tilt angle, and good interface compatibility. Consequently, transverse figure of merit over 0.3, thermal sensitivity greater than 0.11 mV·K^?1, and power density up to 1.1 kW·m^?2 are recorded in Bi_0.1Sb_1.9Te₃/Bi₂Te_2.7Se_0.3 ATMTD. This indicates that ATMTDs have great potential for application in the fields of temperature detection and power generation.     

Microwave dielectric characteristics of tungsten bronze-type Ba4Nd28/3Ti18-yGa4y/3O54 ceramics with temperature stable and ultra-low loss

A series of high-k Ba₄Nd_28/3Ti_18-yGa_4y/3O₅₄ (0≤y≤2, BNTG) ceramics with temperature stable and ultra-low dielectric loss were synthesized via the conventional solid-state reaction. The main phase of all BNTG ceramics demonstrated an orthorhombic tungsten-bronze structure, but the impurity phase (gallium-rich phase) was found in BNTG (y = 2) ceramic. Partial substitution of Ga³⁺ for Ti⁴⁺ in B-site was a valid method to improve the temperature stability and dielectric loss of BNTG ceramics. The variation of ε_r values of BNTG ceramics was dominated by the ionic polarizability. The ultra-low dielectric loss (ultra-high Q × f values) was associated with grain size, suppression of Ti³⁺ and impurity phase. The decrease of TCF values was highly dependent on the tilting of Ti-O octahedra and impurity phase. Finally, outstanding combination dielectric characteristics were achieved for BNTG microwave ceramics at y = 1.5 (ε_r = 72.8, Q × f = 14,600 GHz, TCF=+4.1 ppm/°C) and at y = 2 (ε_r = 70.3, Q × f = 15,500 GHz, TCF=+3.9 ppm/°C).     

Low dielectric loss ceramics in the Mg4Nb2O9-ZnAl2O4-TiO2 ternary system

This study used a traditional solid-state reaction method to prepare a series of composite ceramics in the 0.7Mg₄Nb₂O₉-(0.3-x)ZnAl₂O₄-xTiO₂ ternary system. Crystalline phases and microstructure of Mg₄Nb₂O₉-ZnAl₂O₄-TiO₂ dielectric ceramic composites were investigated and correlated with the relevant dielectric properties. It was observed that the addition of Ti⁴⁺ substituted Nb⁵⁺ in the Mg₄Nb₂O₉ structure, which promoted the decomposition of Mg₄Nb₂O₉ to form the second phase, Mg₅Nb₄O₁₅, during sintering. The synergistic effect of ZnAl₂O₄-TiO₂ co-doping promoted the Mg₄Nb₂O₉ ceramic densification. The sample (0.7Mg₄Nb₂O₉-(0.3-x)ZnAl₂O₄-xTiO₂) with x = 0.15?0.2 exhibited dielectric constants of 13–14, larger than those of ZnAl₂O₄, Mg₄Nb₂O₉ and Mg₅Nb₄O₁₅, due to the NbO₆ octahedra distortion resulting from the substitution of Al³⁺/Ti⁴⁺ for Nb⁵⁺ in Mg₄Nb₂O₉ and Mg₅Nb₄O₁₅. The long-range order of the NbO₆ octahedra was enhanced by co-doping ZnAl₂O₄ and TiO₂, thereby enhancing the Qxf value. A dielectric constant of 13.1, Qxf value of 366,000 GHz and a τ_f of ?60.8 ppm/°C were obtained from 1300 °C sintered 0.7Mg₄Nb₂O₉-0.15ZnAl₂O₄-0.15TiO₂. These results show that 0.7Mg₄Nb₂O₉-0.15 ZnAl₂O₄-0.15TiO₂ ceramic is a good candidate for microwave electronic device applications.     

Correction to: Embrittlement Analysis of Σ5[210]/(-1-20) FeAl Grain Boundary in Presence of Defects: An Ab Initio Study

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A -