The effect of parallel electric fields on the orientation of polycrystalline zinc oxide thin films produced by reactive evaporation and oxidation of zinc

The effect of an electric field (detached electrodes) on the crystal orientation of zinc oxide thin film was investigated. Two methods, direct and indirect, were utilized to produce zinc oxide thin films. In the direct method (reactive evaporation) oxygen was introduced into the zinc vapour stream and ZnO films were deposited on cold substrates in a vacuum system. Parallel electric fields were applied during the reaction process. It was observed that the electric field had no effect on the preferred c-axis orientation of the ZnO crystals. There was no significant difference in the crystal size or surface texture of ZnO samples subjected to electric fields with respect to the sample that experienced no electric field. In the indirect method (oxidation) electric fields were applied during the evaporation of zinc then the samples were oxidized in air in a furnace at 600 C. Here the application of electric field improved the c-axis orientations. The crystal size remained unchanged, but the surface morphology was affected by the application of the electric field. Whenever the c-axis orientation improved, crystals on the surface became rounded and a more ordered microstructure was observed.     

NUMERICAL SOLUTION OF FORCED CONVECTION HEAT TRANSFER IN He II

A theoretical investigation of one-dimensional forced convection heat transfer in He II is conducted. The problem of interest involves a flow tube containing He II, which is heated at its midpoint along its length. Two modes of heating are analyzed: step function and square pulse. The one-dimensional He II energy equation is used to find the temperature distribution along the tube for both steady-state and transient situations. For the steady-state case, a numerical integration routine is used to obtain a solution, whereas for the solution of the transient case, a finite-difference scheme is developed. The numerical temperature profiles are then shown to compare well with the results of an experiment.     

As cast acicular ductile aluminum cast iron

 The effects of 2.2% Ni and 0.6% Mo additions on the kinetics, microstructure and mechanical properties of ductile aluminum cast iron were studied in the as-cast and tempered conditions. Test bars machined from cast to size samples, were used for mechanical and metallurgical studies. The results showed that the addition of Ni and Mo to the base iron produces an upper bainitic structure resulting in an increase in strength and hardness. The same trend was shown when the test bars tempered from 300oC in the range of 300 to 400oC. The elongation increased with increasing the temperature from 300 to 400oC. The carbon content of the retained austenite also increased with increasing temperature. The results also showed that the kinetics, microstructure and mechanical properties of this iron are similar to Ni-Mo alloyed silicon ductile iron.     

Application of magnetic pulse welding technique for flexible printed circuit boards (FPCB) lap joints

The magnetic pulse welding (MPW) is a high speed solid state welding process which has been used successfully to provide metallurgical and electrical bonds between flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) with using: (1) welding with aluminum driver sheet and (2) without driver sheet. The optimum bank energy for reliable bonding was about 1 kJ with 160–180 kA maximum current. The maximum tensile shearing for most welded samples was nearly same as tensile shearing strength of copper layer of FPCB sheet.     

A systematic study on the synthesis of Ca, Gd codoped cerium oxide by combustion method

Co-doped of CeO₂ nanopowders are ideal electrolyte materials for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells. In this work, Ce_1−(x+y)Gd_xCa_yO_2−(0.5x+y) nanopowders are successfully synthesized by a glycine-nitrate combustion process. Then calcination was carried out at 450, 700, 850, 950 and we found that calcined powders were single phase by room temperature X-ray diffraction (XRD) and have an average crystallite size of 45 nm (based on Scherrer formula). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to characterize the morphology of powder. Finally we studied the effect of fuel to nitrate ratio on the properties of resulting powders.     

Refractive lens exchange for presbyopia

True presbyopia correction still remains one of the main challenges amongst eye professionals. Many corrective techniques exist including bifocal spectacle correction, monovision techniques both with corrective lenses and surgery, multifocal corneal excimer laser and refractive lens exchange with either accommodating or multifocal lenses. Refractive lens exchange was first described more than 10 years ago and has become more accepted in recent years with advancements in lens technology and improvements in surgical techniques. This article reviews developments in this field and current available lens options in the treatment of presbyopia.     

Study of oil uptake and some quality attributes of potato chips affected by hydrocolloids

The use of coating agents is one effective way to reduce oil absorption in fried products. Reducing the fat content of fried foods by application of coatings is an alternative solution to comply with both health concerns and consumer preferences. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of hydrocolloids as coating agent on the quantity of oil uptake and on sensory attributes of potato chips. The effect of the coating composition showed that the minimum fat content was related to 1% carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), 0.5% xanthan, 0.3% guar and 1% xanthan with 21.2, 21.7, 22.4 and 24.8%, respectively, and the highest of fat content was related to blank sample (non-coated), 2% tragacanth, 0.5% guar gum with 49.4, 41.7 and 33.2% of oil content, respectively (p <0.05). The most effective coating agent reduced the oil uptake by 57.03, 55.94, 54.67 and 49.71%, respectively (p <0.05). Sensory evaluation showed that the best color was related to 1% CMC, 0.3% guar and 2% tragacanth, and with respect to flavor evaluation the best flavor was observed in tragacanth 2%, CMC 0.5% and CMC 0.1%, and the best texture referred to tragacanth 2%, CMC 0.5% and CMC 1%. In sensory evaluation, all coated chips got high scores compared with blank (non-coated chips) samples (p <0.05).     

Parental injury prevention endeavors: A function of health beliefs?

Surveyed 198 parents of 8–17 yr old children to determine how parents' beliefs about injury prevention influenced their preventive efforts. A health belief model helped predict parent-reported teaching of safety skills and preventive environmental interventions. The variables most associated with parental preventive endeavors were the belief that intervention can avoid injury, a realistically high appraisal of the amount of time involved, and feelings of high knowledge and competence to teach safety skills. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Structural, electrical and optical properties of zinc oxide produced by oxidation of zinc thin films

We have investigated the effects of oxidation temperature on the physical properties of polycrystalline zinc oxide thin films. Zinc thin films are oxidized at different temperatures in air. We have found that increasing the oxidation temperature deteriorates the preferred c-axis orientation. Also, increasing the oxidation temperature enlarges the crystal size and increases the number of needle-shaped crystals on the surface of the ZnO samples. By increasing the oxidation temperature, more than zinc melting point, tensile stresses start to build up in the films. Also by increasing temperature, sheet resistance of the films decreases, while photoluminescence intensity ratio (green to orange) increases. Increasing the oxidation temperature reduces the transparency of the films, too. It is proposed that either an increase in the number of oxygen vacancies or a decrease in the volume of grain boundaries, is responsible for the observed behavior of the films at higher oxidation temperatures.