Preparation of Aluminum Nitride–Silicon Carbide Nanocomposite Powder by the Nitridation of Aluminum Silicon Carbide

Aluminum nitride (AlN)–silicon carbide (SiC) nanocomposite powders were prepared by the nitridation of aluminum-silicon carbide (Al₄SiC₄) with the specific surface area of 15.5 m²·g⁻¹. The powders nitrided at and above 1400°C for 3 h contained the 2H-phases which consisted of AlN-rich and SiC-rich phases. The formation of homogeneous solid solution proceeded with increasing nitridation temperature from 1400° up to 1500°C. The specific surface area of the AlN–SiC powder nitrided at 1500°C for 3 h was 19.5 m²·g⁻¹, whereas the primary particle size (assuming spherical particles) was estimated to be ∼100 nm.     

Shielding Effectiveness Data on Commercial Thermoplastic Materials

Ten different commercially available conductive thermoplastic materials have been tested for near- and far-field shielding effectiveness (SE). Far-field SE was tested using a modified standard measurement technique to provide results comparable with the company-provided data. Further, housings of different thermoplastic materials were constructed and equipped with an electromagnetic interference (EMI) source to model a realistic near-field SE situation. The SE data up to 1 GHz is presented. Conductive thermoplastic materials with fillings of stainless steel fibers and nickel-coated carbon fibers were the two materials that offer the best far-field shielding performance. For the near-field shielding, two materials with filling of stainless steel fibers were the best performing ones. A thermoplastic with polycarbonate (PC) base and stainless steel content of 1.5 vol% showed the best combined far- and near-field shielding results     

Electric spark discharge as an ultrasonic generator in flow measurement situations

In this paper, a gap discharge approach to create acoustic signals for ultrasonic low pressure gas flow measurements is investigated. The objective is to develop an ultrasonic gas flow meter system that is capable of operation in extreme industrial environments. These environments might have extremely high temperatures (1200 °C), moisture, steam, dust, low gas pressure and large transmission distances.Most other types of ultrasonic transducers found show sensitivity to such conditions: their operation suffers, or they may even stop functioning if exposed to such environments. The development of new transducer technology is therefore crucial to allow ultrasonic flow measurements in extreme industrial environments. In this paper, the gap discharge emitter is evaluated as a candidate to be used in these applications. Its capabilities as a sound source are investigated, and its impact on flow meter performance is estimated. It can be concluded that, despite the uncertainties it introduces to a flow meter system, it stands out as a strong candidate to be used as an acoustic emitter in a gas flow meter system for extreme environments.     

PSpice simulation of ultrasonic systems

The usage of electrical analogies for the simulation of wave generation and propagation in ultrasound transducers is well established. In this paper a PSpice approach that includes the temperature and frequency dependency of the transducer performance is proposed. The analogy between acoustic wave propagation and wave propagation in an electric transmission line is given. Further ways to deduce temperature and frequency dependencies are discussed. The simulation approach is applied to a pulse-echo setup for the determination of speed of sound and attenuation in liquids and solids. Experiments and simulations are made for three temperatures and in the frequency range 1-12 MHz using water, glycerine, and polymers (PMMA and PEEK) as test samples. Comparison shows a good agreement between simulation and experiments. Results for glycerine indicates that the available attenuation models for high viscosity liquids is inappropriate.     

Measurements of Decoherence Times in a Josephson Charge Qubit Using Fast Pulses

We study decoherence of a Josephson charge qubit using fast pulses to perform qubit rotations. The gate charge dependence of the decoherence rate indicates that the low frequency fluctuations affecting the qubit are from charges distributed with a 1/f-type spectrum. Assuming the form S_q(ω) = α/|ω|, we find $\sqrt \alpha$ = 4 × 10^?3e, which is slightly higher than the value found from very low frequency noise measurements. PACS numbers: 03.67.-a, 75.40.+r, 85.25.Cp.     

Institutional stability and industry renewal: diverging trajectories in the Cognac beverage cluster

Adding to approaches highlighting network dynamics as a basis for regional economic development, increased attention is paid to institutions as contextual factors contributing to explaining how and why economies change. Research has shown that firms tend to react differently to the same institutional configurations, with the main explanatory factors being their sectoral backgrounds and intra-firm characteristics. This study adds to these insights by examining a regional economy in France, that of Cognac, in which 300 firms are operating under homogeneous institutional preconditions. Despite these similarities, we identify different development trajectories from the 1990s onwards. Our observations illustrate how firms’ responses to external change diverge and bring them on different trajectories due to different positions in the industry hierarchy and different experiences and capabilities among individuals within firms. The study contributes to the better understanding of mechanisms of path dependence, which have gained wide recognition in the literature in the recent decades.     

Plasma Modes in Superconducting Wires: Optimized Experimental Configuration

An experimental configuration is analyzed in order to studyplasma modes in a superconducting wire deposited ontoSrTiO₃. A dispersion relation has been derived byevaluating the effect of the environment surrounding the wire.It corresponds to the one-dimensional dispersion law predictedfor an isolated superconducting wire. Preliminary measurementsare presented. They show 1D plasma modes in theoptimized experimental configuration here studied.     

Experimental evaluation of radiator control based on primary supply temperature for district heating substations

In this paper, we evaluate whether the primary supply temperature in district heating networks can be used to control radiator systems in buildings connected to district heating; with the purpose of increasing the ΔT. The primary supply temperature in district heating systems can mostly be described as a function of outdoor temperature; similarly, the radiator supply temperature in houses, offices and industries can also be described as a function of outdoor temperature. To calibrate the radiator control system to produce an ideally optimal radiator supply temperature that produces a maximized ΔT across the substation, the relationship between the primary supply temperature and outdoor temperature must be known. However, even if the relation is known there is always a deviation between the expected primary supply temperature and the actual temperature of the received distribution media. This deviation makes the radiator control system incapable of controlling the radiator supply temperature to a point that would generate a maximized ΔT.     

Does waterborne citalopram affect the aggressive and sexual behaviour of rainbow trout and guppy?

Citalopram is one of several selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) commonly found in treated sewage effluents. Accordingly, there are concerns about possible adverse effects of SSRIs on aquatic organisms, particularly behavioural effects similar to those associated with SSRI use in humans. Rainbow trout fry and adult male guppies were therefore exposed to waterborne citalopram, ranging from environmentally relevant to high concentrations (1, 10, 100 μg/L) for 3-7 days. Under these experimental conditions citalopram does not appear to cause significant effects on aggression in rainbow trout fry or on sexual behaviour in male guppies. This may be explained by a relatively low uptake of citalopram from water to fish.     

Conditioned fear-induced tachycardia in the rat: vagal involvement

The effects of conditioned fear on gross activity, heart rate, PQ interval, noradrenaline and adrenaline were studied in freely moving rats. Subcutaneous (s.c.) injections of atropine methyl nitrate (0.5 mg/kg) during rest resulted in a significant shortening of the PQ interval, indicating that the PQ interval can be used as a measure of vagal activity. Conditioned fear was induced by 10-min forced exposure to a cage in which the rat had previously experienced footshocks (5 x 0.5 mA x 3 s). In non-shocked controls, an increase in gross activity was found and a pronounced tachycardia, without changes in PQ interval. Conditioned fear rats showed immobility behaviour, associated with a less pronounced tachycardia and an increase in PQ interval. Noradrenaline was similarly increased in both groups, whereas adrenaline was increased in conditioned fear rats only. To further evaluate the role of the vagus, rats were exposed to conditioned fear after pre-treatment with atropine methyl nitrate (0.5 mg/kg, s.c.). Again, immobility was observed with a concomitant tachycardia, but without an increase in PQ interval. These results indicate that the autonomic nervous system is differentially involved in heart rate regulation in conditioned fear rats and in non-shocked controls: in non-shocked controls a predominant sympathetic nervous system activation results in an increase in heart rate, whereas in conditioned fear rats the tachycardiac response is attenuated by a simultaneous activation of sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system.