Structural,electrical and mechanical properties of selenium doped thallium based high-temperature superconductors

In this study, highly-refined chemical powders were synthesized by having them ready in appropriate stoichiometric proportions with conventional solid state reaction method so that they would produce the superconductor TlPb_0.3Sr₂Ca_1−xSe_xCu₂O_y (x = 0; 0.4; 0.6; 1.0). This study aims to understand effect of the selenium doping on the superconducting, structural and mechanical properties of the aforementioned superconducting material. The effect of the doping rates on the structural and electrical properties of the sample has been identified. Electrical characteristics of the TlPb_0.3Sr₂Ca_1−xSe_xCu₂O_y material were measured using standard four point probe method. Structural characteristics were examined with the powder X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Mechanical properties were analyzed with Vickers microhardness measurements on the sample surface. According to the results, it was observed that the reflection comes from the (00l) and parallel planes increased with Se doping. Particle size increases with increasing doping ratio. According to results of the mechanical measurements, all samples exhibit indentation size effect (ISE) behavior. Comparing the obtained results with theoretical studies, it was understood that Hays Kendall approach is the best method in determination of mechanical properties and analyzing microhardness of the materials.     

Using lag-sequential analysis for understanding interaction sequences in visualizations

The investigation of how users make sense of the data provided by information systems is very important for human computer interaction. In this context, understanding the interaction processes of users plays an important role. The analysis of interaction sequences, for example, can provide a deeper understanding about how users solve problems. In this paper we present an analysis of sequences of interactions within a visualization system and compare the results to previous research. We used log file analysis and thinking aloud as methods. There is some indication based on log file analysis that there are interaction patterns which can be generalized. Thinking aloud indicates that some cognitive processes occur together with a higher probability than others.     

Studies on thin film based flexible gold electrode arrays for resistivity imaging in electrical impedance tomography

Practical phantoms are essential to assess the electrical impedance tomography (EIT) systems for their validation, calibration and comparison purposes. Metal surface electrodes are generally used in practical phantoms which reduce the SNR of the boundary data due to their design and development errors. Novel flexible and biocompatible gold electrode arrays of high geometric precision are proposed to improve the boundary data quality in EIT. The flexible gold electrode arrays are developed on flexible FR4 sheets using thin film technology and practical gold electrode phantoms are developed with different configurations. Injecting a constant current to the phantom boundary the surface potentials are measured by a LabVIEW based data acquisition system and the resistivity images are reconstructed in EIDORS. Boundary data profile and the resistivity images obtained from the gold electrode phantoms are compared with identical phantoms developed with stainless steel electrodes. Surface profilometry, microscopy and the impedance spectroscopy show that the gold electrode arrays are smooth, geometrically precised and less resistive. Results show that the boundary data accuracy and image quality are improved with gold electrode arrays. Results show that the diametric resistivity plot (DRP), contrast to noise ratio (CNR), percentage of contrast recovery (PCR) and coefficient of contrast (COC) of reconstructed images are improved in gold electrode phantoms.     

Structure, dielectric and electrical properties of cerium doped barium zirconium titanate ceramics

Rare-earth doped barium zirconium titanate (BZT) ceramics, Ba(Zr_0.25Ti_0.75)O₃ + xCeO₂, (x = 0-1.5 at%) were obtained by a solid state reaction route. Perovskite-like single-phase compounds were confirmed from X-ray diffraction data and the lattice parameters were refined by the Rietveld method. It is found that, integrating with the lattice parameters and the distortion of crystal lattice, there is an alternation of substitution preference of cerium ions for the host cations in perovskite lattice. Morphological analysis on sintered samples by scanning electron microscopy shows that the addition of rare-earth ions affects the growth of the grain and remarkably changes the grain morphology. The effect of rare-earth addition to BZT on dielectric and electrical properties is analyzed. High values of dielectric tunability are obtained for cerium doped BZT. Especially, the experimental results on the effect of the contents of rare-earth addition on the resistivity of BZT ceramics were investigated, demonstrating that the samples with x = 0.4 and x = 0.6 could be semiconducting in air atmosphere.     

Evaluation of water content gradient using a new configuration of linear array four-point probe for electrical resistivity measurement

Electrical resistivity is used in this study to assess the moisture content of concrete, because of their good correlation. A new process using four point probes to measure the electrical resistivity of concrete is described in this paper. It is based on the exploitation of the short circuit induced by the reinforcement in the concrete structure. A numerical model is also made to simulate the resistivity measurements on concrete by taking into account the electrochemical parameters of the reinforcement. The obtained results have shown the ability of the new measurement process to assess the gradient of the moisture content of the concrete cover.     

Treatment of log yard runoff in a couch grass infiltration wetland in Sweden

Sprinkling is often used in Scandinavia to protect round wood stored for industrial use from fungal and insect attack and drying cracks. Log yard runoff can be harmful for the water recipient due to eutrophication and oxygen depletion. A wetland system for treatment of log yard runoff is being evaluated in central Sweden. The purification capacity of a sloping couch grass (Elytrigia repens L.) field was examined when log yard runoff was applied to the field through a sprinkling system. Water samples were taken from groundwater pipes during four summer seasons (May to September, 2002–2005) and analysed for total organic carbon, total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen and distillable phenols to evaluate the purification capacity of the infiltration wetland. Results from 2002 to 2004 were compared with results from 2005 when the irrigation intensity was considerably lower. Overall, the results showed good purification capacity although the concentrations of TP in the groundwater increased during 2005. The reduced hydraulic load did not increase purification.     

T-ZnOw/TLCP抗静电复合材料的制备与性能研究

以热致液晶高分子(TLCP)为基体,四针状氧化锌晶须(T-ZnOw)为导电填料,用单螺杆挤出机制备抗静电性T-ZnOw/TLCP复合材料,分别探讨了偶联剂对T-ZnOw的影响;T-ZnOw用量对T-ZnOw/TLCP复合材料表面电阻率、热变形温度、力学性能的影响。结果表明,T-ZnOw经过偶联剂改性后,随着其用量的增加,复合材料表面电阻率显著下降,热变形温度、拉伸强度、冲击强度均呈现先增大后减小的趋势。     

亚微米自对准硅化物工艺开发

文章对亚微米自对准硅化物制造设备及工艺进行了详细的描述。文中以实际生产为目标, 以实验数据为依据,对影响自对准硅化物薄膜特性的各项工艺参数进行调试和论证,找出合适的RTP1 温度,并开发出适合自对准硅化物薄膜的工艺标准。