Preface

This issue of Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry contains selected papers based on presentations in the field of thermal characteristics of advanced polymer systems presented at the 8^th International Symposium on Polymers for Advanced Technologies (PAT 2005) held in Budapest, September 2005. Guest Editors     

Projectivep-algebras

Presented by R. Freese.     

Multiple-scattering-theory analysis of XANES spectra of SO2 adsorbed on Cu(100)

The sulphur K-edge x-ray absorption spectra of SO₂ multilayer and of SO₂ submonolayer adsorbed on Cu(100) are analysed. It is found that the dominant spectral features are of a molecular origin. The results support earlier findings that the SO₂ molecule stands perpendicular to the surface. Use of non-selfconsistent potentials does not lead to a good quantitative agreement between theory and experiment.     

Density Correlations in the Two-Dimensional Coulomb Gas

We consider a two-dimensional Coulomb gas of positive and negative pointlike unit charges interacting via a logarithmic potential. The density (rather than the charge) correlation functions are studied. In the bulk, the form-factor theory of an equivalent sine-Gordon model is used to determine the density correlation length. At the surface of a rectilinear plain wall, the universality of the asymptotic behavior of the density correlations is suggested. A scaling analysis implies a local form of the compressibility sum rule near a hard wall. A symmetry of the Coulomb system with respect to the Möbius conformal transformation, which induces a gravitational source acting on the particle density, is established. Among the consequences, a universal term of the finite-size expansion of the grand potential is derived exactly for a disk geometry of the confining domain.     

The assignment of credit limits with a behaviour-scoring system

Received on 1 July 1991. Behaviour-scoring systems for authorizations enable the riskof a customer defaulting to be quantified. These risks mustbe incorporated into a credit strategy which assigns creditlimits and makes authorization decisions in the most effectivemanner. This paper introduces the concept of marginal risk whichhas proved a useful tool in defining credit limit strategiesfor a mail-order company. Behaviour scores for authorizations are similar to credit applicationscores in that they predict the overall risk of a customer defaulting.If a cut-off risk can be established, then the optimal strategywould appear to be to withhold credit for customers exceedingthis risk and to grant unlimited credit for the remainder (thisis analogous to application strategies). The notion of grantingunlimited credit is often commercially unacceptable (particularlyif customers are to be informed of their credit limits!) andso strategies which give all or nothing are of limited valueand need further refinement. In order to overcome this problem, the concept of marginal riskhas been devised. The marginal risk is the risk of the ‘last£’ of an account being defaulted. This reflectsthe fact that small-balance customers may well pay off theircurrent balance only to default on larger subsequent purchases.Although the overall risk of customers with a given behaviourscore defaulting is relatively constant, their marginal riskwill vary according to their outstanding balance. This paperexplores the relationships between marginal risk and overallrisk and between marginal risk and outstanding balance. A modelwhich summarizes these relationships is proposed, and contoursof equal marginal risk are built on the basis of this model.These contours provide strategies for allocating credit limitswhich are both practical and optimal for a well formulated cut-offrisk and which suggest that the probability of defaulting isnot the best criterion for allocating credit limits. The results of the application of this approach will be demonstrated.Some of the problems that have been overcome are discussed,as are some of the outstanding problems.     

Use of new composite materials for the determination of Cu, Cd, Mo, As, and Sb in biological samples by radiochemical neutron activation analysis

Summary  Vezetéknév     

A multivalued version of Sharkovskiĭ’s theorem holds with at most two exceptions

A multivalued version of Sharkovskiĭ’s theorem is formulated for M-maps on linear continua and, more generally, for triangular M-maps on a Cartesian product of linear continua. This improves the main result of [AP1] in the sense that our multivalued analogue holds with at most two exceptions. A further specification requires some additional restrictions. For instance, 3- orbits of m-maps imply the existence of k-orbits for all k ? \mathbbNk \in {\mathbb{N}} , except possibly for k ?k \in {4, 6}. It is also shown that, on every connected linearly ordered topological space, an M-map with orbits of all periods can always be constructed. This demonstrates that Baldwin’s classification of linear continua in terms of admissible periods [Ba] is useless for multivalued maps.     

Influence of boric acid on the electrochemical deposition of Ni

The electrolytic deposition of Ni onto a paraffin-impregnated graphite electrode from supporting chloride electrolyte (0.5 mol dm⁻³ NaCl) adjusted to the required pH using dilute HCl is investigated. The effect of electrolyte composition on the Ni electrodeposition is studied using linear sweep voltammetry in the cathodic region. An elimination voltammetry procedure was applied to evaluate the polarization curves. The aim of this work was to deduce the mechanism of Ni reduction in the chloride bath as well as the influence of boric acid on this. Positively-charged NiCl⁺ ions were found to be the electroactive particles in the Ni reduction mechanism. The strong competition between the NiCl⁺, Cl⁻ and H⁺ ions for active sites at the electrode is discussed. Kinetically-controlled adsorption/desorption processes of various species were also confirmed using elimination voltammetry with a linear scan. The evolution of gaseous hydrogen, catalyzed by the freshly-deposited Ni, accompanies the electrodeposition process. The presence of boric acid at a sufficiently high concentration inhibits the deposition of Ni and, at the same time, improves the morphology and brightness, as well as the adhesion of the deposited Ni. Elimination voltammetry with a linear scan is an efficient way to evaluate current–potential curves that reflect the electrodeposition of one-component Ni coatings. By eliminating selected currents, additional interesting and useful information can be obtained from voltammetric data.