44—SIMULATION OF THE ELECTRIC FIELD IN EVENNESS-TESTING CAPACITORS

A method for simulating the capacitive field of a yarn-evenness tester by a resistive technique is presented and is used to study the effect of guard plates, and of the presence of a yarn on the field. More precise detection of the yarn is achieved with guard plates, and the potential applied to them is shown not to be too critical.     

Chemical solution deposition of copper thin films and integration into a multilayer capacitor structure

Metallization layers with thicknesses well below a micron are needed for future generation multilayer ceramic devices such as capacitors and integrated passive components. In many cases, the limiting thickness for the electrode is governed by dewetting of the metals from the oxide surface. Therefore, thin, stable metallization layers with low electrical resistivities that can survive high processing temperatures are of interest for these applications. For this purpose, Cu films prepared from 2-methoxyethanol-based solutions were developed using adhesion promoters such as Ti, Zn, and Zr. The solutions were spun onto BaTiO₃/SiO₂/Si or SiO₂/Si substrates, pyrolyzed, and annealed in a reducing ambient. The microstructure of films prepared in this way was found to be uniform and continuous at thicknesses as low as 80 nm. Cu films modified with 15 mol% Zr had electrical resistivities of about 16–17 μΩ-cm after 500°C annealing and 5–6 μΩ-cm after annealing at 900°C in a reducing ambient.     

Cadmium and lead in Hungarian porcine products and tissues

Samples of kidney, blood, lungs, hair, heart, liver, spleen, muscle, ear, rib, skin and faeces were obtained from 200 fattened pigs in 10 abattoirs across Hungary. These were analysed in triplicate for cadmium and lead concentrations by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The highest concentrations of cadmium were found in the kidney, followed by hair and faeces and then liver, heart and lungs. Lead concentrations were greater in the hair and faeces than other tissues. Both lead and cadmium concentrations in meat and offal were below the legal limits. There was more variation in lead than cadmium concentrations between abattoirs, and across abattoirs there was no correlation between concentrations of the two elements. Blood lead concentration was correlated with the lead concentration in bone, kidney, liver, spleen and lungs, and was a better indicator of lead contamination than hair lead concentration. The cadmium concentrations of the kidney, liver, spleen, lungs and faeces were highly correlated, and it is suggested that faeces is the best on‐farm indicator of cadmium contamination. Across animals, blood cadmium correlated less closely with the cadmium concentration of the body tissues than it did with the lead concentration, demonstrating positive interaction between the two elements. By contrast, hair and to a lesser extent bone cadmium concentrations were negatively correlated with the lead concentration of most tissues. It is concluded that lead and cadmium concentrations in pigs are best monitored in blood and faeces concentrations, respectively. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

"Phonotactic influences on short-term memory": Correction.

Reports an error in the original article by S. E. Gathercole et al (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition, 1999[Jan], 25[1], 84–95). On page 87, the mean proportions of correct item recall and standard deviations for the high vocabulary group in Experiment 1B were incorrect in Table 2. The analyses of variance reported for data arising from Experiment 1B were correct. A corrected table is given. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1998-11970-006.) The impact of phonotactic probabilities on serial recall was investigated in a series of experiments. In Experiments 1A and 1B, 7 and 8 year olds were tested on their serial recall of monosyllabic words and of nonwords varying in phonotactic frequencies. A recall advantage to words over nonwords remained when stimuli were balanced for phonotactic probability, but nonword recall showed superior accuracy for high over low probability nonwords, as in Experiment 2. The nonword frequency effect appears to reflect the frequency of constituent syllables rather than biphones. Both lexicality and high phonotactic frequency led to increased proportions of full over partial recall of the memory stimuli. These findings indicate that decayed memory traces in phonological… (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Chemical Solution-Deposited BaTiO3 Thin Films on Ni Foils: Microstructure and Interfaces

The microstructure and interface quality of chemical solution-deposited BaTiO₃ films on Ni foil were investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The microstructures were found to consist of equiaxed and uniform grains, with average grain sizes for rapid thermal-annealed films of 12 nm (700°C) and 18 nm (750°C), respectively. Films furnace annealed at 1000°C after a rapid thermal anneal at 700°C showed a grain size of 42 nm. It is believed that the final grain size is limited by the highly reducing atmosphere and also by the existence of well-developed crystallites resulting from the rapid thermal annealing step. Spatially resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy identified the existence of residual carbon and variations in the oxygen content in BaTiO₃ films. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed an interfacial layer of Ni–Ba alloy (5–10 nm thick) between the BaTiO₃ and Ni foil.     

Drawing evaluation into design for mobile computing: a case study of the Renwick Gallery’s Hand Held Education Project

We present a detailed case study of the design, launch, and evaluation of a handheld mobile computing guide for visitors to the Smithsonian American Art Museums Renwick Gallery. Of particular emphasis is integrating methods and tools of evaluation into the process of designing for new visitor experiences. Using a method of reflective design and evaluation incorporating interviews, surveys, observation, and clickstream analysis, we uncover assumptions and hypothesis for further testing. Finally, we discuss the cross-over between physical navigation of museum spaces and information navigation of online museum data.     

Evaluation of a novel surface acoustic wave gyroscope

A novel type of gyroscope sensor using metal dot arrays on the surface of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) device has recently been independently proposed. In this paper, we report experimental trials of several devices fabricated to evaluate the effects described and also an order-of-magnitude estimate of the sensitivity to be expected. The conclusions are that this device is extremely insensitive as currently proposed     

Passive explosion suppression by blast-induced atomisation from water containers

The experimental findings of a combined wind tunnel and field-scale explosion study of blast-induced water release and its effect on blast suppression are reported. The release of water, and its subsequent atomisation, from containers both with open and partly enclosed surfaces, was first studied in a wind tunnel. An array of water containers were then placed at differing positions from the ignition point, together with flame acceleration obstacle arrays at fixed positions, inside a 5.1 m long by 0.3 m(2) cross-section explosion duct. The droplet size and the minimum flame speed necessary for the container array to suppress the explosion were found to depend upon the number of containers in the array and on their shape and size. One particular container array extinguished the flame when placed at any position beyond 1.7 m from the ignition point. When extinction was observed the internal over-pressure was substantially reduced and the external over-pressure completely eliminated. This study suggests a new approach toward passive explosion suppression.     

Effects of Green Density on Crystallization and Mullitization in the Transiently Sintered Mullite

The effects of green density as an experimental parameter in influencing the crystallization of an amorphous silica layer coated on the surface of α-alumina powder particles and the subsequent reaction of crystalline cristobalite and alumina to form mullite have been investigated. Green compacts consisting of alumina powder particles coated with an amorphous silica layer were fabricated using both a conventional uniaxial die pressing and rotary forging at room temperature, resulting in various green densities from 15% to 68% theoretical density. It has been shown that both the crystallization temperature of the amorphous silica layer coated on the surface of alumina powder particles and the subsequent mullitization temperature are lowered in the highly compacted materials.