Surface tension isotherms of a free surface and grain boundaries in the Cu-Sn system

Surface tension of pure copper and its alloys with Sn has been measured at 1000°C in a hydrogen atmosphere. Surface tension of a free surface equaled 1.81 N/m for pure copper, and 1.55, 1.38, and 1.28 N/m for the alloys with 0.05, 0.22, and 0.33 at % Sn, respectively; surface tension at grain boundaries equaled 0.5 N/m for pure copper, and 0.36, 0.3, and 0.23 N/m for the alloys, respectively. Based on these data, the concentration dependence of tin absorption at a free surface and grain boundaries has been calculated. Parameters of Sn absorption at grain boundaries and a free surface of copper have been compared with those of Sb and Bi.     

PIII treatment of Ti alloys and NiTi for medical applications

PIII is a powerful method to obtain hard and wear resistant surface on Ti alloys and NiTi by oxygen or nitrogen implantation. By adjusting the temperature, treatment time and heating regime, different phase compositions and layer thickness can be obtained. Depending on the specific system, a strong influence of the resulting microstructure on the wear and fatigue properties was observed. By considering these restrictions, successful animal tests can be designed and executed, as shown in this review article.     

Ratings of Therapist Dynamic Activities and Alliance Early and Late in Psychotherapy.

The present study examines the concurrent and predictive relationships between therapist psychodynamic-interpersonal activity and therapist-rated alliance. Ratings from 45 patient and therapist dyads engaged in short term psychodynamic psychotherapy from a point early (3rd or 4th session) and late (the session at which 90% of the treatment was completed) in treatment were used. The results suggest that therapists who have positive views of the alliance early in treatment also have positive views of the alliance later in treatment. Therapists who used psychodynamic-interpersonal activities early in treatment also made use of psychodynamic-interpersonal activities later in treatment. Moreover, the use of psychodynamic-interpersonal activities early in treatment was positively related to both global and specific aspects of therapist-rated alliance late in treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Guest Editors' Introduction: Haptic User Interfaces for Multimedia Systems

The guest editors talk a little about haptic interfaces and give an overview of the articles for this special issue.     

Activation process-dependent characteristics of novel thermionic oxide cathodes for CRT application

The emission and conductivity characteristics of oxide cathodes depend largely on the activation process. In this paper, the electrical properties of new type of oxide cathodes for cathode ray tube (CRT) application, supplied by LG Philips Displays, have been investigated in relation to different cathode activation regimes. The influence of the activation process over different durations has been investigated. A temperature of T=1425 K was chosen to be higher than the optimum cathode activation temperature (T=1200 K), and the other temperature of T=1125 K was lower than that. The electron activation energy (E) was found to vary in the range from 0.58 to 2.28 eV for cathodes activated at the higher temperature regime, and from 1.08 to 1.9 eV for those activated at the lower temperature regime. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron diffraction X-ray (EDX) analyses show a structural phase transformation in the oxide material that was activated at 1125 K for a period of 1-12 hours. The SEM mapping shows a large contamination of Ba in the top layer of oxide material. The activator agents tungsten and aluminum are found to penetrate into the BaO/spl bsol/SrO layer in two different ways.     

Proposal for optical switch using nonlinear refraction

We propose that using the phenomenon of refraction of two coaxially copropagating beams at the interface of two nonlinear media, a passive all-optical switch could be constructed for future integrated photonic circuits.     

Degradation of wine industry wastewaters by photocatalytic advanced oxidation.

Wine industry wastewaters contain a high concentration of organic biodegradable compounds as well as a great amount of suspended solids. These waters are difficult to treat by conventional biological processes because they are seasonal and a great flow variation exists. Photocatalytic advanced oxidation is a promising technology for waters containing high amounts of organic matter. In this study we firstly investigated the application of H2O2 as oxidant combined with light (artificial or natural) in order to reduce the organic matter in samples from wine industry effluents. Secondly, we studied its combination with heterogeneous catalysts: titanium dioxide and clays containing iron minerals. The addition of photocatalysts to the system reduces the required H2O2 concentration. Although the H2O2/TiO2 system produces higher efficiencies, the H2O2/clays system requires a H2O2 dosage between three and six times lower.