The role of spatial ability in learning from instructional animations - Evidence for an ability-as-compensator hypothesis

In two experiments, the role of spatial ability in learning from an instructional animation versus a series of static pictures was studied. In both experiments, a statistical interaction of spatial ability and type of visualization was obtained: Low-spatial ability students showed poor learning outcome when learning from pictures while high-spatial students did not; when learning from animation, however, learning outcome was independent from spatial ability. The results are in line with an ability-as-compensator hypothesis which states that constructing mental animations from non-dynamic materials needs spatial ability; with animated learning materials, however, spatial ability is not required. No overall differences between static pictures and animation were found.     

Thin and Dense Ceramic Coatings by Plasma Spraying at Very Low Pressure

The very low pressure plasma spray (VLPPS) process operates at a pressure range of approximately 100 Pa. At this pressure, the plasma jet interaction with the surrounding atmosphere is very weak. Thus, the plasma velocity is almost constant over a large distance from the nozzle exit. Furthermore, at these low pressures the collision frequency is distinctly reduced and the mean free path is strongly increased. As a consequence, at low pressure the specific enthalpy of the plasma is substantially higher, but at lower density. These particular plasma characteristics offer enhanced possibilities to spray thin and dense ceramics compared to conventional processes which operate in the pressure range between 5 and 20 kPa. This paper presents some examples of gas-tight and electrically insulating coatings with low thicknesses <50 μm for solid oxide fuel cell applications. Furthermore, plasma spraying of oxygen conducting membrane materials such as perovskites is discussed.     

11. Topical Meeting Optical Interference Coatings (OIC)

Die OIC wird alle drei Jahre von der Optical Society of America (OSA) veranstaltet. Sie ist die wichtigste internationale Plattform für Forschung und Entwicklung auf dem Gebiet der optischen Dünnschichttechnologie. Neben den zahlreichen fachlichen Beiträgen bietet die OIC auch Wettbewerbe zum Design, zur Herstellung und zur Charakterisierung optischer Beschichtungen, die im Vorfeld der Tagung unter Berücksichtigung aktueller Problemstellungen der optischen Technologien ausgeschrieben werden. Diese Wettbewerbe werden unter engagierter Beteiligung der internationalen Wissenschaftsgemeinschaft durchgeführt und reflektieren in Ihren Ergebnissen, die anlässlich der Tagung veröffentlicht und diskutiert werden, jeweils den neusten Stand der optischen Dünnschichttechnologie. Insgesamt ist die OIC damit ein zuverlässiger Indikator für neue Trends und Innovationen in der modernen Optik.     

Decolorization of Wastewater Produced in a Pyrolysis Process by Ozone: Enhancing the Performance of Ozonation

This paper shows the results of color removal from a wastewater produced in a plastic pyrolysis process by ozonation. The influence of parameters such as temperature, reactor geometry, UVA, ozone input, and finally spraying of wastewater on performance enhancement of the decolorization process will be discussed. Due to the long residence time of O₃ molecules in the gaseous phase, recycling and spraying the wastewater in a pre-filled ozone chamber show a remarkable effect on decreasing the decolorization process time. At the end of this paper, an application of “micro-bubble producer” in this field, and its advantages will be introduced.     

Effects of Calcination Temperature and A/B Ratio on the Dielectric Properties of (Ba,Ca)(Ti,Zr,Mn)O3 for Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors with Nickel Electrodes

The electrical performance of multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) with Ni inner electrodes, made from (Ba,Ca)(Ti,Zr,Mn)O₃ (BCTZM), is closely related to the calcination temperature and the A/B ratio of the powder. For materials showing A/B = 1.000, the lifetime, the breakdown voltage, and the RC increase with higher calcination temperatures. No significant effect of the calcination temperature on RC and lifetime was found for materials showing A/B = 0.991. The isoelectric point of BCTZM is shifted toward higher pH values when the calcination temperature is decreased. The above results are attributed to the colloidal stability of aqueous BCTZM suspensions and the resulting green density of powder compacts.     

Suspension plasma spraying of TiO2 for the manufacture of photovoltaic cells

Highly porous TiO₂ coatings have been produced by suspension plasma spraying on ITO coated glass substrates. The deposition process could be optimized so that fine/nano grained highly porous coatings were obtained. Mean crystallite sizes well below 50 nm could be achieved in the coatings for the anatase phase.Special emphasis was on the establishment of a high volume fraction of the desired anatase phase. The best coatings showed values of about 90% of anatase phase.With these coatings photovoltaic cells could be produced. Different levels of layer thickness and porosity as well as contents of anatase phase have been investigated.In the paper details on the microstructure of the cells as well as the photovoltaic performance will be given.     

Bioreaktionstechnik in mikrofluidischen Reaktoren

In the last decade micro bioreactor (MBR) technology has made rapid advances in biotechnology process development and in the investigation of various biological systems from industrial to pharmaceutical biotechnology applications. MBRs range in complexity from simple micro titer‐based systems to complex automated parallel bioreactors designed to allow the meaningful scale‐up/ ‐down of conventional pilot and large‐scale bioprocesses. MBR technology and the capability to monitor cultivation process variables in situ, provide real‐time and quantitative data from the microliter cultivation. This paper gives an overview of micro technologically fabricated MBRs, for the high‐throughput operation, its design, advantages and current limitations and potential future challenges in different biotechnological fields.     

Synthesis and Properties of Lead Magnesium Niobate Zirconate Relaxor Materials

Two materials were prepared with composition PbMg_0.3-Nb_0.6Zr_0.1O₃ (PMNZ/10) and PbMg_0.32Nb_0.65Zr_0.03O₃ (PMNZ/3). Slight modifications in lead oxide content of these materials were made to study its influence on the sintering properties. The stoichiometric PMNZ/3 gave the best results. It has a sintering temperature as low as 900°C and a relative dielectric constant of 10 000 at room temperature.     

Comparison of algorithms used for optical characterization of multilayer optical coatings

Two algorithms used for the on-line and off-line characterization of multilayer optical coatings are experimentally compared using test samples produced by two different deposition processes and different monitoring approaches. One of these algorithms, called the triangular algorithm, demonstrates its superiority in all considered situations. We performed experiments with multilayer samples formed by high-density thin films, which allowed us to neglect possible errors in the film refractive indices and concentrate only on errors in the thicknesses of the layers of the produced coatings.