A bidding decision index for construction contractors

Results from applying the model on a sample of contractors, the majority of whom were international and operating in Egypt, reinforces the credibility of the developed methodology, claim the authors.     

The As-prepared surfaces of C-axis-oriented Nd1Ba2Cu3Oy thin films characterized using scanning probe microscopes

Recently, superconducting Nd₁Ba₂Cu₃O_y (Ndl23) thin films with high superconducting transition temperature (T _c) have been successfully fabricated at our institute employing the standard laser ablation method. In this paper, we report the results of surface characterization of the Nd123 thin films using an ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscope/spectroscopy (UHV-STM/STS) and an atomic force microscope (AFM) system operated in air. Clear spiral pattern is observed on the surfaces of Nd123 thin films by STM and AFM, suggesting that films are formed by two-dimensional island growth mode. Contour plots of the spirals show that the step heights of the spirals are not always the integer or half-integer number of thec-axis parameter of the structure. This implies that the surface natural termination layer of the films may not be unique. This result is supported byI-V STS measurements. The surface morphology of the Nd123 thin films is compared with that of thec-axis-oriented Y₁Ba₂Cu₃S_y thin films. Surface atomic images of the as-prepared Nd123 thin films are obtained employing both STM and AFM. STS measurements show that most of the surfaces are semiconductive. The results of STS measurements together with the fact that we are able to see the surface atomic images using scanning probe microscopes suggest that exposure to air does not cause serious degradation to the as-prepared surfaces of Nd123 thin films.     

Power Dissipation in Spintronic Devices Out of Thermodynamic Equilibrium

Quantum limits of power dissipation in spintronic computing are estimated. A computing element composed of a single electron in a quantum dot is considered. Dynamics of its spin due to external magnetic field and interaction with adjacent dots are described via the Bloch equations. Spin relaxation due to magnetic noise from various sources is described as coupling to a reservoir. Resulting dissipation of energy is calculated and is shown to be much less than the thermal limit, ∼kT per bit, if the rate of spin relaxation is much slower than the switching rate. Clues on how to engineer an energy efficient spintronic device are provided.     

Comments on the shortcomings of predicting the precision of Cavalieri volume estimates based upon assumed measurement functions

It is well known that the estimation of an object's volume by means of serial cross-sections, the so-called Cavalieri method, yields an unbiased estimate. But by itself it provides no means by which to estimate how precise this estimate is unless the shape of the volume is fully known beforehand. This knowledge can only be partially determined from the serial section information that is collected. Methods have been developed that claim to surmount this difficulty by using the serial section data to create a mathematical model of the volume's shape properties. The model then is used to estimate (predict) the precision of the volume estimate (its CE) from the single set of data available. Unfortunately, the theory underlying the model is flawed and so the model itself amounts to no more than an unsubstantiated guess about the shape of the volume. Therefore, the precision of the volume estimates that one obtains from the method is only as good as the model and this cannot be ascertained from the single set of acquired data. In this letter I explain the inadequacies of the modelling method. I suggest that it be used only with caution, if at all. Instead I suggest two alternative ways to predict the CE, one that is based upon a rule-of-thumb approach to the object's shape, and another that is based upon spectral analysis of the measurement function and that is easy to implement with available computer software.     

飞行时间二次离子质谱--强有力的表面、界面和薄膜分析手段

二次离子质谱（Secondary ion mass spectrometry，简称SIMS）是一种对表面灵敏的质谱技术，建立在表面各种类型带正、负电荷原子或分子发射的基础上。用飞行时间（Time of flight，简称TOF）仪器对这些二次离子进行质量分析，能确保并行质量登录、高质量范围、高流通率下的高分辨和精确质量测定这些优异性能。配合细聚焦扫描一次离子束，可在优于1nm的高深度分辨和优于50nm的横向分辨本领下，实现对表面优于单层ppm(百万分之一）量级的极高检测灵敏度。当今TOF－SIMS已发展为一种成熟且完善的表面分析技术。极高的灵敏度，再加上即使对大分子及不易挥发性分子都独具的敏感性，使它成为很多高技术领域不可缺少的分析手段，这些领域包括微电子学、化学和材料科学以至纳米技术和生命科学等。本文简述了TOF－SIMS的原理、仪器及其多方面的应用和展望。     

双辊薄带钢连铸在线自动检测系统

介绍了双辊薄带钢连铸工艺,设计了双辊连铸机的计算机在线自动检测系统,通过采取正确的抗干扰措施提高了检测的精度,系统在双辊薄带钢连铸试验中应用效果良好.     

壳体理论在水压爆破中的应用

在壳体理论的基础上,考虑到薄壳型结构水压爆破的特点,提出了一种新的药量计算公式,并得到了初步实际工程验证.     

The mirror effect and mixture signal detection theory.

The mirror effect for word frequency refers to the finding that low-frequency words have higher hit rates and lower false alarm rates than high-frequency words. This result is typically interpreted in terms of conventional signal detection theory (SDT), in which case it indicates that the order of the underlying old item distributions mirrors the order of the new item distributions. However, when viewed in terms of a mixture version of SDT, the order of hits and false alarms does not necessarily imply the same order in the underlying distributions because of possible effects of mixing. A reversal in underlying distributions did not appear for fits of mixture SDT models to data from 4 experiments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparative study on the effect of VUV radiation in plasma SiOx-coated polyimide and polypropylene films

Wettability of polyimide (PI) and polypropylene (PP) films have been improved using SiO_x-like thin layers deposited from a mixture of hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) and oxygen in a microwave distributed electron cyclotron resonance plasma reactor. The films wettability evolution behaviors were evaluated through the results of contact angle measurements, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The plasma depositions of SiO_x thin layers in presence of VUV radiation induce a contact angle decrease to about 7° and 35° for PI and PP films, respectively. XPS data showed that such difference in wettability is attributed to the increase of hydrophilic group's proportion at the surface of coated PI films due to VUV irradiation. AFM images showed that the PI surface topography remains relatively smooth when coated in presence of VUV radiation. However, in the case of PP films, AFM images revealed the growth of irregular structure due to a substrate etching effect supported by VUV radiation. For polymers coated without VUV irradiation, the deconvolution of the C1s peaks showed a significant decrease of CO bonds for both PI and PP substrates.     

薄板坯连铸连轧工艺对铌微合金化高强度钢组织和性能的影响

首先建立薄板坯连铸连轧工艺的试验室模拟技术，并运用该模拟技术，研究薄板坯连铸连轧工艺(CSP)和传统板坯再加热工艺(TRP)两种工艺对铌微合金化高强度钢的显微组织和力学性能的影响。研究结果表明：CSP钢的晶粒细化效果不如TRP钢，两者的平均铁素体晶粒尺寸分别为8．17μm和6．30μm。在CSP试验钢板中铌的析出量较大，特别是在铁素体中细小颗粒的铌的析出物较多，沉淀强化效果较强。CSP试验钢的σ0.5和σb分别较TRP工艺低约40MPa和约25MPa，同时其低温冲击韧性较好，FATT温度较低。