Growth of InN layers on Si (111) using ultra thin silicon nitride buffer layer by NPA-MBE

Indium nitride (InN) epilayers have been successfully grown by nitrogen-plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (NPA-MBE) on Si (111) substrates using different buffer layers. Growth of a (0001)-oriented single crystalline wurtzite-InN layer was confirmed by high resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD). The Raman studies show the high crystalline quality and the wurtzite lattice structure of InN films on the Si substrate using different buffer layers and the InN/β-Si₃N₄ double buffer layer achieves minimum FWHM of E₂ (high) mode. The energy gap of InN films was determined by optical absorption measurement and found to be in the range of ~ 0.73-0.78 eV with a direct band nature. It is found that a double-buffer technique (InN/β-Si₃N₄) insures improved crystallinity, smooth surface and good optical properties.     

Application of differential transform method to unsteady free convective heat transfer of a couple stress fluid over a stretching sheet

In the present article, the transient rheological boundary layer flow over a stretching sheet with heat transfer is investigated, a topic of relevance to non‐Newtonian thermal materials processing. Stokes couple stress model is deployed to simulate non‐Newtonian characteristics. Similarity transformations are utilized to convert the governing partial differential equations into nonlinear ordinary differential equations with appropriate wall and free stream boundary conditions. The nondimensional boundary value problem emerging is shown to be controlled by a number of key thermophysical and rheological parameters, namely the rheological couple stress parameter (), unsteadiness parameter (), Prandtl number (Pr), buoyancy parameter . The semi‐analytical differential transform method (DTM) is used to solve the reduced nonlinear coupled ordinary differential boundary value problem. A numerical solution is also obtained via the MATLAB built‐in solver “bvp4c” to validate the results. Further validation with published results from the literature is included. Fluid velocity is enhanced with increasing couple stress parameter, whereas it is decreased with unsteadiness parameter. Temperature is elevated with couple stress parameter, whereas it is initially reduced with unsteadiness parameter. The flow is accelerated with increasing positive buoyancy parameter (for heating of the fluid), whereas it is decelerated with increasing negative buoyancy parameter (cooling of the fluid). Temperature and thermal boundary layer thickness are boosted with increasing positive values of buoyancy parameter. Increasing Prandtl number decelerates the flow, reduces temperatures, increases momentum boundary layer thickness, and decreases thermal boundary layer thickness. Excellent accuracy is achieved with the DTM approach.     

Excitatory amino acid receptors and puberty

Glutamate is an important excitatory signal in the hypothalamus for the steroid-mediated preovulatory gonadotropin surge. Steroids may exert this action by regulating glutamate receptor levels or glutamate release, or both. Work in our laboratory found no changes in NMDA and kainate receptor binding in the hypothalamus of castrated or castrated plus steroid-replaced male and female rats. Likewise, we found that NMDA and kainate binding did not change over the onset of puberty in the female rat. A competitive quantitative RT-PCR assay using exogenous internal standards was used to measure NMDAR1, GluR1, and beta-actin mRNAs levels. NMDAR1 and GluR1 expression was examined in the preoptic hypothalamic area and in the medial basal hypothalamus at Postnatal Days 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 32, 34, 36, 40, and 63. A transient increase in GluR1 mRNA levels in the preoptic hypothalamic area was observed on Day 20, with all other time points showing comparable levels. NMDAR1 levels in the POA and medial basal hypothalamus did not change significantly at any of the time points; in contrast, however, AMPA receptor binding levels were increased in the hypothalamus at the time of puberty in the female rat. Thus, in addition to the previously reported elevation of glutamate release rates in the hypothalamus at the time of puberty, AMPA receptors may also be elevated and play a role in mediating glutamate regulatory effects on the timing of puberty in the female rat.     

Artificial neural network approach in printed circuit board assembly

In this study, automation of the circuit board assembly process is considered using artificial neural networks with knowledge-based systems. Basic issues in achieving intelligent control that can adapt to changing conditions in the assembly process are discussed. The feasibility of using neural networks for pattern recognition and optimum component insertion sequence generation is examined. The study provides a basic foundation for designing a conceptual architecture for adaptive intelligent control of circuit board assembly. Real-time testing of component recognition is conducted using adaptive resonance theory (ART 1) as a neural network paradigm.     

Correlation between elastic and electric properties for cyclically loaded metals

A new method of evaluation of the elastic property deterioration due to accumulated damage is suggested and experimentally verified. It is based on the explicit correlations between two groups of anisotropic properties – conductivity and elasticity, recently established for porous/microcracked materials with anistropic microstructures. An experimental study of fatigue has been done to verify the theoretical predictions. The electrical resistance and Young's modulus are measured as functions of the number of loading cycles in the standard fatigue tests. The agreement between the theoretical predictions and the direct experimental data is better than 10% in all cases. The results allow one to use measurements of the electric resistance to estimate the damage accumulated in methal structures and the decrease of the elastic modulus.     

In-Service Durability Performance of Water Tanks

With an alarmingly increased rate of deterioration in reinforced concrete structures due to durability performance, efforts are being made to quantify in situ performance. Performance is a function of time and it is related to degradation and the parameters influencing it. Although state-of-the-art modeling of various deterioration mechanisms is available in the literature, evaluation of the influence of various deterioration mechanisms that decrease performance with time is difficult. However, in situ condition documentation, survey, and assessment of deteriorated structures reflect the resultant deterioration process and also helps in validation of experimental and theoretical methods of performance evaluation. In this research, a systematic in situ condition documentation, survey, and assessment of water tank structures has been done based on an empirical damage scale similar to that suggested in the literature and a bilinear graphical deterioration model for such water retaining structures in a semitropical region like India is presented on the basis of case studies.     

Innovation in non-contact ultrasonic analysis: applications for hidden objects detection

 This paper describes unusual applications of ultrasound that are based upon recent advances in transduction efficiency in air and gaseous media. Piezoelectric transducer devices – capable of generating extremely high intensity ultrasound in ambient air up to 5 MHz – have been successfully developed and tested. This is in addition to the obvious uses for gas analysis, remote sensing, liquid level, gap, and thickness measurement, and proximity analysis. These new generation transducers make it possible to analyze solids and liquids not only non-destructively, but also without physically contacting the test sample. Among various applications to the non-destructive characterization (NDC) of industrial materials, we also describe the feasibility of a forensic application. This concerns the detection of objects such as knives, guns, contraband drugs, dead bodies, etc., hidden inside false compartments or walls. Received: 15 October 1997 / Accepted: 24 October 1997     

Analysis of Diffraction Line Profile from Silk Fibers Using Various Distribution Functions

Microstructural parameters of varieties of silk fibers, like C.nichi, Pure Mysore Silk (PMS), Hosa Mysore (HM) and Nistari, have been determined by Fourier method of Warren using wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) data. Exponential, Lognormal, Reinhold functions for the column length distributions have been used for the determination of microstructural parameters. The goodness of the fit and the consistency of the results suggest the exponential distribution gives much better results in the analysis of fiber diffraction even though lognormal distribution has been widely used to estimate the similar stacking faults in metal oxide compounds. Estimated micro-structural parameters have been compared with parameters of other silk fibers like, Hosa Mysore, Pure Mysore Silk (PMS) and Nistari as a comparison of their molecular maps shows a wide contrast between them.     

Polarographic studies on the coupled product of β-diketones with aryl diazonium chloride

Polarographic reduction of some coupled product of acetyl acetone with aryl diazonium chloride takes place in a single 4-electron transfer, giving a diffusion controlled irreversible waves in B.R. buffers of pH range 2–11.8. The reduction in these compounds takes place at the ---NH---N=C bond. Effect of various cations, anions, surfactant and solvent percentage on the reduction has been discussed.