Grain orientation effects on copper enrichment and oxygen generation during anodizing of an Al-1at.%Cu alloy

Anodizing of solid-solution Al-1at.%Cu alloy in ammonium pentaborate electrolyte is shown to develop two distinct types of amorphous film. On alloy grains of {1 0 0} orientation, the alumina film is of uniform thickness and relatively featureless. For other grains, the film is of non-uniform thickness and contains oxygen bubbles. In both cases, copper species are distributed throughout the film. Copper is enriched in the alloy to ∼5.8×10¹⁵ Cu atoms cm⁻² for bubble-free grains, with similar or slightly lower levels for other grains. Evidently, copper enrichment alone does not lead to generation of oxygen. Other factors suggested to be involved, each dependent upon grain orientation, are the structure of the enriched alloy layer, the cyclic nature of the oxidation of copper, and the generation of modulated film compositions.     

Initial stages of plasma electrolytic oxidation of titanium

The initial stages of oxide growth on titanium are examined in a recently developed commercial alkaline pyrophosphate/aluminate electrolyte of interest for plasma electrolytic oxidation of light metal alloys. Constant current anodizing was employed, with resultant films examined by scanning and transmission electron microscopies and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. The initial film is relatively uniform and composed of TiO₂, with low concentrations of aluminium and phosphorus species incorporated from the electrolyte. With increase in voltage the film breaks down locally, and regions of original and modified film develop simultaneously, with the latter occupying more of the surface as the voltage rises. Porous regions due to dielectric breakdown also become increasingly evident. At 240 V, sparking commences, and the surface reveals extensive, relatively uniform porosity, with the coating now containing much enhanced concentrations of aluminium and phosphorus species compared with the coating at lower voltages. The films develop at low efficiency due to generation of oxygen. The oxygen is produced within the original film material and at sites of dielectric breakdown. The former type of film develops a two-layered morphology, with an outer layer of amorphous TiO₂ and an inner layer with numerous fine and course cavities. The cavities are due to the generation of oxygen that may be associated with the formation of anatase in the inner layer.     

Invited article: development of high-field superconducting Ioffe magnetic traps

We describe the design, construction, and performance of three generations of superconducting Ioffe magnetic traps. The first two are low current traps, built from four racetrack shaped quadrupole coils and two solenoid assemblies. Coils are wet wound with multifilament NbTi superconducting wires embedded in epoxy matrices. The magnet bore diameters are 51 and 105 mm with identical trap depths of 1.0 T at their operating currents and at 4.2 K. A third trap uses a high current accelerator-type quadrupole magnet and two low current solenoids. This trap has a bore diameter of 140 mm and tested trap depth of 2.8 T. Both low current traps show signs of excessive training. The high current hybrid trap, on the other hand, exhibits good training behavior and is amenable to quench protection.     

Serotonin and serotonin receptors in the central auditory system

Single channel currents were activated by GABA (0.5 to 5 microM) in cell-attached and inside-out patches from cells in the dentate gyrus of rat hippocampal slices. The currents reversed at the chloride equilibrium potential and were blocked by bicuculline (100 microM). Several different kinds of channel were seen: high conductance and low conductance, rectifying and "nonrectifying." Channels had multiple conductance states. The open probability (Po) of channels was greater at depolarized than at hyperpolarized potentials and the relationship between Po and potential could be fitted with a Boltzmann equation with equivalent valency (z) of 1. The combination of outward rectification and potential-dependent open probability gave very little chloride current at hyperpolarized potentials but steeply increasing current with depolarization, useful properties for a tonic inhibitory mechanism.     

Polarization control of a Q-switched, diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser

We describe control of the polarization state of a diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser that is Q switched with an acousto-optic modulator (AOM). One of two orthogonal linear polarization states can be made dominant, depending on the amount of loss introduced by the AOM. Heterodyne beating indicates that the two polarization states are of slightly different frequencies.     

Gingival recession and exposure of barrier membrane: effect on guided tissue regeneration of Class II furcation defects

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of barrier membrane exposure on the success of guided tissue regeneration in Class II furcation defects. Twenty-six subjects with mandibular Class II furcation defects received initial periodontal therapy followed by guided tissue regeneration surgery. The membrane was placed and the flaps were repositioned so that the membrane was totally submerged. Membranes were removed 4 to 6 weeks later, at which time the extent of their exposure was recorded. An overall improvement in all clinical parameters was observed for all subjects 1 year after surgery. Half of the patients had experienced no membrane exposure, while the other 13 subjects had experienced mild to pronounced exposure; both groups showed similar improvement in all clinical and surgical parameters. In light of the comparable results obtained in exposed sites, and the anatomic difficulties sometimes encountered in covering a membrane completely, in some of these cases the membrane may be left only partially submerged. This approach will allow for tighter occlusal "seal" of the tooth-membrane interface and preservation of the keratinized gingiva.     

Secure video communication using firefly optimization and visual cryptography

In recent years, we face an increasing interest in protecting multimedia data and copyrights due to the high exchange of information. Attackers are trying to get confidential information from various sources, which brings the importance of securing the data. Many researchers implemented techniques to hide secret information to maintain the integrity and privacy of data. In order to protect confidential data, histogram-based reversible data hiding with other cryptographic algorithms are widely used. Therefore, in the proposed work, a robust method for securing digital video is suggested. We implemented histogram bit shifting based reversible data hiding by embedding the encrypted watermark in featured video frames. Histogram bit shifting is used for hiding highly secured watermarks so that security for the watermark symbol is also being achieved. The novelty of the work is that only based on the quality threshold a few unique frames are selected, which holds the encrypted watermark symbol. The optimal value for this threshold is obtained using the Firefly Algorithm. The proposed method is capable of hiding high-capacity data in the video signal. The experimental result shows the higher capacity and video quality compared to other reversible data hiding techniques. The recovered watermark provides better identity identification against various attacks. A high value of PSNR and a low value of BER and MSE is reported from the results.

     

Boundary Spanning and Engineering: A Qualitative Systematic Review

Background

Engineers are often expected to span organizational, cultural, stakeholder, geographic, temporal, and other boundaries. Yet, few studies on boundary spanning have appeared in the engineering education literature, suggesting the need for improved theoretical and conceptual foundations to guide empirical studies of boundary spanning in engineering.

Purpose

To develop a more comprehensive understanding of boundary spanning, this study addresses five research questions: (a) What types of boundaries have been identified as topics of interest? (b) How are boundary spanners and boundary spanning defined? (c) What types of activities and behaviors comprise or have been linked to boundary spanning? (d) What individual competencies and characteristics have been proposed or studied as important for boundary spanning? and (e) What boundary spanning themes are most prominent in studies of engineers and other technical professionals?

Scope/Method

Using a qualitative systematic review process, we identified and analyzed 72 scholarly papers from multiple disciplines. Multiple reviewers coded each paper using a hybrid deductive‐inductive content analysis process to identify key themes related to boundary spanning.

Conclusions

The analysis resulted in a framework consisting of six boundary types, three types of roles and definitions, and five types of activities. Discussion of boundary spanning competencies was limited in the collected works, and only seven papers exclusively focused on engineers. We conclude by proposing boundary spanning as an important meta‐attribute for engineers and a promising lens for investigating engineering practice. We also relate our findings to the engineering education literature and suggest directions for future research.     

Predicting whether a material is ductile or brittle

In this paper we discuss the various models that have been used to predict whether a material will tend to be ductile or brittle. The most widely used is the Pugh ratio, $G/K$, but we also examine the Cauchy pressure as defined by Pettifor, a combined criterion proposed by Niu, the Rice and Thomson model, the Rice model, and the Zhou-Carlsson-Thomson model. We argue that no simple model that works on the basis of simple relations of bulk polycrystalline properties can represent the failure mode of different materials, particularly where geometric effects occur, such as small sample sizes. Instead the processes of flow and fracture must be considered in detail for each material structure, in particular the effects of crystal structure on these processes.     

Stabilization of optical characteristics of DNA cholesteric liquid-crystalline dispersions

Abnormal optical properties of liquid-crystalline dispersions (phases) formed as a result of phase exclusion of double-stranded DNA and RNA from water-salt poly(ethylene glycol) solutions and X-ray parameters of these phases are compared. It is shown that the cholesteric packing of nucleic acid molecules is realized at the certain osmotic pressure of a solvent only. A comparison of the optical properties of liquid-crystalline phases (dispersions) to their X-ray parameters allows one to put forward a suggestion on various hydratation (fluctuation) regimes of the nucleic acid behaviour under the condensed phases formation and factors, influencing the mode of packing of these molecules in phases formed. It is shown as well, that immobilization of DNA cholesteric liquid-crystalline particles in the content of polymeric matrix is accompanied by the stabilization of these particles and, hence, their specific abnormal optical activity as well as by formation of particles having a structure, which corresponds to the "optically isotropic ordered liquid" without abnormal optical activity. Data on stabilization of the cholesteric structure of liquid-crystalline DNA dispersions by creation of polymeric chelate bridges between the neighbouring DNA molecules, fixed in the structure of liquid-crystalline dispersions, are shown.