High-temperature microstructural evolution and quantification for alloys IN740 and IN740H: comparative study

In ultra-supercritical power plants, Ni-base alloys are candidate materials for long-term, high-temperature applications, operating at temperatures and pressures as high as 750°C and 35?MPa. Alloy IN740 and its modification, alloy IN740H, are considered for such applications. Their microstructural evolution, at 750°C for times ranging between 3000 and 5000 hours, has been investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy, electron back-scattered diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and phase quantification. All phases were identified and quantified allowing comparison between the two microstructures, their evolution and stability. Particular attention was paid to γ′, η and G phases. The results are used within a broader investigation aimed at improving and further developing a predictive creep model based on continuous damage mechanics.     

Dielectrical performance of high-k yttrium copper titanate thin films for electronic applications

The increasing constraints in the miniaturization of modern electronic devices is driving the search for new high-k dielectric materials. Rare-earth transition metal oxides are very interesting because of the large values of dielectric constant observed in bulk samples. Here, we report on a comparison among the dielectric properties of yttrium copper titanate (YCTO) thin films and those of commonly used dielectrics such as SiO₂ and MgO, grown in similar device structures. The YCTO permittivity was found to depend strongly on the oxygen pressure during deposition and can reach values even higher than those reported in bulk YCTO with good performances in terms of losses.     

Propensity scoring and the relationship between sexual media and adolescent sexual behavior: Comment on Steinberg and Monahan (2011).

Longitudinal research has demonstrated a link between exposure to sexual content in media and subsequent changes in adolescent sexual behavior, including initiation of intercourse and various noncoital sexual activities. Based on a reanalysis of one of the data sets involved, Steinberg and Monahan (2011) have challenged these findings. However, propensity score approaches—especially the version of this method used by Steinberg and Monahan, which lacks covariates—do not necessarily result in more accurate estimates of treatment effects than does the regression with covariates approach employed by prior research. There are also a number of problems with the specific set of analyses presented by Steinberg and Monahan and the conclusion they draw from them. In contrast to Steinberg and Monahan's claim, there is substantial evidence of an association between sexual media exposure and adolescent sexual initiation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Re-interpretation of traditional architecture for visual comfort

In the history of stone traditional architecture there are constructive solutions which, with the same climatic conditions and materials used, produce a different final result. This result, which apparently is only a formal and figurative one, actually involves different physical–technical implications that inevitably determine, for these solutions, a different system of actions/reactions due to the change of stress of the physical environment they interact with. Starting from a constructive approach, linked to the Mediterranean culture and, in particular, to a specific declination represented by architecture from the Islamic architectural culture, the aim of the research work is to estimate how the logical–formal and physical operation of the walls of the traditional architecture, interacting with the outdoors, can be used and re-interpreted in order to assure a condition of visual comfort into internal spaces. Therefore, the attempt is that of a re-interpretation in a contemporary key, i.e. the possibility to use these solutions with the purpose of pointing out a methodological procedure which, even if referring to particular special configurations and specific visual duty in its experimental application, can be used in all types of environments; a methodology which contemplates and appraises all of the dynamics and problems linked to the sight and comfort of the average user.     

Hamartoma of the urinary bladder: case report and review of the literature

In this first article for the feature Humanism and Medicine, Rita Charon introduces an excerpt from Richard Selzer's introduction to his latest book, The Doctor Stories. In her introductory and concluding comments, Charon contemplates the role of stories in medicine and how both truth and healing can be found in both listening to and telling stories. In the excerpt presented, surgeon and writer Selzer muses on his twin crafts. As a writer, Selzer can fully appreciate that which he witnesses in his life as a doctor. His ruminations on his own dual citizenship suggests that all doctors, perhaps, can deepen their commitment to medicine, to their patients, and to themselves by strengthening their capacity to behold their patients and to grasp their predicaments. Selzer also traces his origins and, by implication, projects his future. As practicing physicians and medical educators, readers of Academic medicine might be inspired to do the same.     

Experimental Evaluation of the Intrinsic Dissipation from Energy-Level Quantization in Josephson Devices

The main problem in realizing an experiment of macroscopic quantum coherence, namely, an experiment where the nonclassical behavior of a macroscopic system must be detected, is the fulfillment of many experimental constraints, in principle very difficult to achieve. One of the most critical parameters is the decoherence time of the system. The Rabi oscillations of a two-level system, in fact, are canceled if the quality factor associated with the oscillation is less than unity. In particular, it can be shown that the decoherence time for a SQUID system, once the temperature is given, depends only on the effective resistance. To evaluate the effective resistance of our system we have measured the energy-level quantization (ELQ) under stationary conditions at a temperature between 13 and 35 mK, for a Josephson junction and for an rf SQUID using the same type of junction. For both systems we can clearly see ELQ, because of the very low level of the intrinsic dissipation. From these measurements we can then set a lower limit for the effective system dissipation and then infer the decoherence time related to the overall setup of our experiment.     

Collaborative diagnosis over the Internet: a working experience

Pathologists reach more accurate diagnoses faster when their colleagues assist in evaluating tissue specimens. The Telemic software, designed for transmitting microscopic images over the Internet, gives collaboration a major boost with improved diagnostic quality and enhanced access to outside diagnostic expertise