How the Emotional Climate (Field) Impacts Performance

Independently of the creativity movement, others have demonstrated the benefits of creating positive fields. I have reviewed a number of cases involving field below and added some from my own creativity experiences. I then explore the psychological explanation of why such fields are effective and go on to the findings of recent brain research, which not only reinforce the benefits of positive fields but also throw light on the difficulty of creating them. Finally, I offer some suggestions from my own experience of what can be done to create positive fields. I believe that this should now be the focus of our efforts: to the extent that we are successful, we should get the creativity and innovation we need as a by‐product.     

Effects of initial powder vibrogrinding on the properties of AlN - BN composites

A study has been made on the effects of initial vibroground powders with various grain sizes on the properties of AlN - BN composites. As the specific surface of these powders increases, so do the density, mechanical strength, and thermal resistance of the composites.     

Investigation of the influence of design parameters on the flow performance of single and double disk viscous micropumps

This paper investigates the effect of radius ratio, and channel aspect ratio on the flow performance of newly introduced single and double disk viscous micropumps. A lubrication solution for the flow field, which accounts for both radius and channel aspect ratios either in single or double disk micropumps was developed and compared with available experimental data and with an approximate solution which estimates for the flow rate only in single disk pump and neglects channel aspect ratio. Additionally, a number of 3D numerical models for single and double disk micropumps were built and analyzed using the finite volume method. Pressure and drag shape factors were introduced to describe the effects of radius and channel aspect ratios on the flow rate. The values of these factors for the whole range of studied parameters are found analytically and numerically. The error in estimating the flow rate was found to be less than 10% for r ₁ /r ₂ > 0.2, and less than 7% for the studied range of h/w. Also, the lubrication solution was found to be in good agreement with the numerical and experimental results.     

Perils of Using Hurricane Katrina to Teach Engineering Ethics

Katrina is a case the complexity of which makes it hard to use. It is also a case unlikely to repay the trouble of using it. According to IPET's current understanding of what happened, probably the final word, the engineering decision-making was probably too diffuse to make an interesting ethics case.     

Hochbelastbare kohlenstoffbasierte Mehrschichtsysteme für die Umformtechnik

Carbon based multilayer systems for highly loaded forming tools Amorphous hydrogenated carbon (metal‐free a‐C:H and metal‐containing a‐C:H:Me) films respond very sensitively to local overloads. For example during forming tool operations, hard abrasive particles and locally high stresses on the coating surface can cause crack initiation and early coating failure. Compared to the high hardness, wear resistance and excellent friction properties, in many cases the adhesion of a‐C:H films is relatively insufficient. Adhesion and overload resistance of a‐C:H and a‐C:H:Me, prepared by reactive sputtering, can be influenced in a wide range by different interlayer systems. In the present report the wear mechanism of amorphous carbon coatings and the influence of different metallic, metal nitride and metal carbide interlayers on the growth structure, the adhesion and the load resistance will be reported. Two well adapted multi‐coating systems, successfully tested for highly loaded tools and components, will be presented.     

Eye tracking — A new interface for visual exploration

Eye-tracking technology offers a natural and immediate way of communicating human intentions to a computer. Eye movements reflect interests and may be analysed to drive computer functionality in games, image and video search, and other visual tasks. This paper examines current eye tracking technologies and their applications. Experiments are described that show that target images can be identified more rapidly by eye tracking than using a mouse interface. Further results show that an eye-tracking technology provides an efficient interface for locating images in a large database. Finally the paper speculates about how the technology may enter the mass market as costs decrease.     

Hartstoffschichten für das Pressen und Prägen von Gläsern bei hohen Temperaturen

Hard and wear resistant coatings for the moulding and embossing of glasses at elevated temperatures Hard and wear resistant coatings of Titanium Aluminium Nitride TiAlN were deposited on various substrates by the application of different reactive deposition processes: RF-magnetron-sputtering, ion beam-sputtering and by the energetic cluster impact (ECI) process. The deposition of the coatings was performed under variation of biasing conditions and of process parameters such as pressures and flow rates of the process gases argon and nitrogen as well as of energies of species hitting the substrate surfaces. The microstructure particularly the growth morphology of several films was investigated by pictures of film cross sections recorded by transmission electron microscopy. Residual intrinsic film stresses were analyzed by measuring deflections of substrates in an interference optical microscope before and after the deposition of the coatings. By heating coated substrates and in-situ observation of deflections at elevated temperatures dependencies of thermally induced stresses on temperatures and variations of intrinsic stresses due to changes within the films could be analyzed and related to microstructure and growth conditions. In the paper specific characteristics of the deposition processes occuring on the scale both of atoms and of clusters which may contain several thousand of atoms are described and related to microstructure, residual stress states and damaging conditions. Different contributions to residual film stresses are analyzed on the base of theoretical considerations taking into account deposition kinetics and thermomecanical properties. The significance of achieved film properties for application, i. e. for the coating of tools for the manufacturing of optical components by moulding and embossing of glasses is discussed.     

Breast and pectoralis musculo-aponeurotic fibromatosis: two independent lesions occurring in the same patient. A case report

We report the first case of primitive breast fibromatosis associated with a synchronous independent musculo-aponeurotic fibromatosis of the omolateral pectoralis major muscle in an otherwise healthy 29-year-old woman without clinical evidence of any genetic syndrome. The primary occurrence of the two lesions was supported by the absence of any macroscopic and microscopic connection. The present case suggests that a pre- or intraoperative frozen section diagnosis of breast fibromatosis should lead the surgeon and pathologist to exclude an independent fibromatosis of the underlying musculo-aponeurotic fascia.