Visualization of balancing systems based on naïve psychological approaches

In this paper, we propose a novel medium for interactions based on an interpersonal psychological approach referred to as ‘naïve psychology’. We adopt the visual assessment of clustering tendency (VAT) to naïve psychology for the visual understanding of other people. The VAT algorithm produces a visual display that can be used to assess clustering tendencies in a set of persons (notions) by reconstructing a digital image representation of a square relational dissimilarity matrix for its set. This algorithm clearly represents two types of imbalanced situations in naïve psychology: crisp and fuzzy. The visual image of a balanced or imbalance situation is useful for a deeper human understanding.     

Noble metal promoted Ni0.03Mg0.97O solid solution catalysts for the reforming of CH4 with CO2

Reforming of CH₄ with CO₂ to produce syngas was studied over Ni_0.03Mg_0.97O solid solution catalyst and its bimetallic derivative catalysts which contained small amounts of Pt, Pd or Rh (the atomic ratio M/(Ni + Mg) was about 2 × 10^–4, M = Pt, Pd or Rh). It was found that although the Ni_0.03Mg{0.97}O catalyst showed an excellent stability and activity at the reaction temperature of 1123 K, it lost its activity completely within 51 h when the reaction temperature was as low as 773 K. However, both the activity and the stability at 773 K were improved significantly by adding Rh, Pt, or Pd. This synergistic effect is rationally explained by the promoted reducibility of Ni. On all these catalysts, the amount of deposited carbon during the reaction was very low, suggesting that carbon deposition was not the main cause of the deactivation. Also, the catalytic activity of bimetallic catalysts increased gradually with the noble metal loading, but after passing through a maximum, it decreased with superfluous addition. The maximum was found to be located at around the atomic ratio of M/(Ni + Mg) 0.02% (M = Pt, Pd and Rh). This phenomenon could most probably be attributed to the different composition of Pt-Ni alloy particles formed after the reduction.     

Study on contact angles of Au,Ag, Cu,Sn, Al and Al alloys to SiC

Contact angles of Au, Ag, Cu, Sn, Al and Al alloys to SiC were measured by use of sessile drops heated by a high frequency induction coil designed to be convex against the SiC plate. Three crystal configurations of -SiC, polycrystalline plane of sintered SiC, SiC (1 1 1) plane, and SiC (1 0 0 0) plane were used as base plates. Au, Sn, Al and Al alloys showed a large contact angle of about 150 ° at each melting temperature, however those of Ag and Cu were in the range of 105–121°. Every contact angle of Al and its alloys decreased to under 90° when held at 1350 °C. SiC (1 0 0 0) plane gave a lower contact angle than the other two SiC planes for Cu, Al and Al-Si alloys.     

Photochemically Switchable Interconnected Microcavities for All-Organic Optical Logic Gate

Optical microcavities confine molecular luminescence and transfer it to a far longer distance than the conventional Förster resonant energy transfer process. Such cavity-mediated energy transfer is advantageous for use in optical circuitry. However, to realize all-organic optical circuits, optical gate operation with organic materials is indispensable. Here, all-organic optical gates consisting of polymer whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonators that work as the optical source, drain, and gate, which are interconnected with polymer microfiber, are demonstrated. Photoirradiation of the source sphere, as an optical input, triggers the blue fluorescence that transmits to the gate sphere through the fiber. The fiber interconnection enhances both the light confinement efficiency in the individual spheres and the light transmission efficiency between distant spheres. The gate sphere contains photoisomerizable fluorescent dye that converts, in its closed state, the blue emission into green light, which is again transmitted to the drain sphere through the fiber and lets the sphere emit red light as an output. This optical cascade is switched on and off upon photoisomerization of the dye in the gate sphere. Furthermore, an energy cascade equipped with two gate spheres works as an OR-type logic gate, demonstrating potential utility for the future all-organic and all-optical integrated devices.     

Fabrication, Mechanical Properties, and Electrical Conductivity of Co3O4 Ceramics

Well-densified Co₃O₄ ceramics (98.3% of theoretical) have been fabricated by the combined use of hot pressing (800°C/I h/30 MPa) and hot isostatic pressing (880°C/2 h/196 MPa). Their Vickers hardness and fracture toughness are 10.3 GPa and 4.2 MPa·m^1/2, respectively. They exhibit a high electrical conductivity of 3.35 × 10' S·cm⁻¹ at 800°C.     

Investigation on initial stage of rapid pyrolysis at high pressure using Taiheiyo coal in dense phase

Rapid pyrolysis of Taiheiyo coal was investigated with a laboratory-scale batch type reactor (BTR), which was specially developed to study various gasification processes at the conditions close to an industrial entrained bed gasifier. The experiments were carried out in helium at 1073 K, 7.1 MPa, varying reaction times from 1 to 80 s and coal/gas ratios in the range of 0.41-1.65 g/l. Extents of pyrolysis and profiles of product formation were discussed based on the results of char yield, gas and tar formation characteristics. It was observed that reaction of pyrolysis was significantly affected by coal/gas ratio. At high coal/gas ratios, pyrolysis was found to be retarded at initial stage. Pyrolysis products can be roughly divided into two groups. One is the ultimate products such as methane, carbon oxides, hydrogen, and benzene and the other is the intermediate products such as ethylene and toluene. Heat supply inside BTR was examined and the influence of thermal properties of atmospheric gases was investigated by carrying out pyrolysis in nitrogen and by comparing the results with that in helium. As a result, the heat capacity of atmospheric gas has less influence on pyrolysis process whereas heat conductivity of atmospheric gas as well as mixing conditions of gas and coal sample significantly affect the pyrolysis reaction.     

Hot Isostatic Pressing and High-Temperature Strength of Silicon Nitride-Silica Ceramics

Dense Si₃N₄ ceramics containing 2.5 and 20 wt% SiO₂ were hot isostatically pressed by a glass-encapsulation method. Their fracture strengths showed no degradation up to 1400°C, despite the presence of a large amount of SiO₂ glass. Moreover, in the case of Si₃N₄-20 wt% SiO₂, plastic deformation of as much as 2.5% was observed during bending tests at the strain rate ε = 1.5 × 10⁻⁴/s. The α- to β-phase-transformation rate decreased with increasing SiO₂ content.     

New Compound in the System SrO-Al2O3

A new compound, 12SrO·7Al₂O₃, is formed from an amorphous material prepared by the simultaneous hydrolysis of strontium and aluminum alkoxides. It has a cubic unit cell with a =1.2325 nm. The structure contains tetrahedral AlO₄ groups and octahedral AlO₆ groups. This compound decomposes into 3SrO·Al₂O₃ and SrO·Al₂O₃ at higher temperatures.     

On elastic incompatibility during the deformation of α-β brass two-phase bicrystals

The effect of the elastic incompatibility on the deformation of - brass two-phase bicrystals was studied at temperatures of 150, 300 and 450 K. At 150 and 300 K, the curvature of the slip traces in the -component with distance from the interface was found to be closely related to the exponential decay of the elastic incompatible stresses with distance from the interface. More than four slip systems (which are necessary for the plastic compatibility theory) were observed to operate and although the total number of slip systems differed from one specimen to another, it can be rigidly concluded that additional slip systems have been activated due to the elastic compatibility requirements.     

Transgranular slip and fracture across an interface in α-β brass two-phase bicrystals

The passage of slip and the transgranular fracture across the interface of - brass two-phase bicrystals were investigated in connection with the orientation relationships of the bicrystals. The passage of slip across the interface was observed in the slip systems with misorientation less than 10 degrees. These results were related to the interface dislocation created when a dislocation propagates across the interface. The twist disclination model proposed by Marcinkowski for the passage of a dislocation across the twist boundary was recognized at the interface of the present two-phase bicrystals. The initiation and the propagation of the transgranular crack was seen at the interface where the passage of slip was investigated. It was noted that this transgranular crack was caused by the high stress field around the deformation ledge created when many dislocations passed through the interface.On leave from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.