Crossing of shears bands in196Pb

High-spin states in¹⁹⁶Pb have been populated using the reaction¹⁷⁰Er(³⁰Si,4n). The previously observed shears bands in this nucleus have been extended and some of their transitions have been reordered. They now form regular bands with band crossings. One of the bands splits into two pathways at high spin.     

Synthesis and properties of Hg-based high-T c superconductors

Il Nuovo Cimento D - The formation of Hg-based HTSC materials was investigated through the development of non-conventional techniques. The former was based on a singlestep synthesis at temperatures...     

Raman spectra of fluid nitrogen: intermolecular torques and orientational correlation times

A comparison is made between the rotovibrational Raman bands of fluid nitrogen at room temperature in the 180–355 amagat density range and the corresponding pure rotational bands reported previously. Accurate moment values are derived from the Raman spectra, accounting for the response of the entire experimental apparatus, after subtraction of the unwanted isotope band and of the leaking polarized Q branch. Correlation times are also calculated for both rotovibrational and pure rotational spectra accounting for the finite instrumental slitwidth.

Intermolecular torques and orientational correlation times derived from the two spectra are in good agreement for almost the entire available density range. Small discrepancies, particularly evident in the low density correlation times, are discussed and related to the rotation-vibration interaction. Intermolecular correlations are found to be negligible.     

An improved error bound for a finite element approximation of a model for phase separation of a multi-component alloy

Using the approach of Rulla (1996 SIAM J. Numer. Anal. 33, 68-87)for analysing the time discretization error and assuming moreregularity on the initial data, we improve on the error boundderived by Barrett and Blowey (1996 IMA J. Numer. Anal. 16,257-287) for a fully practical piecewise linear finite elementapproximation with a backward Euler time discretization of amodel for phase separation of a multi-component alloy.     

Study of limit strains for FCC and BCC sheet metal using polycrystal plasticity

In this research, we analyze forming-limit strains of FCC and BCC materials using a viscoplastic self-consistent polycrystal model (VPSC) in conjunction with the Marciniak–Kuczynski (MK) approach. In particular, our work is focused on the theoretical analysis and comparison between FCC and BCC crystal structures made by Inal et al. [Inal, K., Neale, K.W., Aboutajeddine, A., 2005. Forming limit comparison for FCC and BCC sheets, International Journal of Plasticity, 21, 1255–1266]. These authors performed their simulations based on a generalized Taylor-type polycrystal model (MK-FC), finding a remarkably low forming-limit curve for the FCC material and an extremely high forming-limit curve for the BCC material, in the biaxial stretching range. We verified that our predictions are similar to Inal’s results for both FCC and BCC materials when the MK-FC model is used. However, MK-VPSC calculations do not give such extreme values, and we believe that this theory predicts much more reliable results for both FCC and BCC crystallographic assumptions. We also found that localized necking depends on texture evolution in the vicinity of equi-biaxial stretching, through the sharpness of the predicted yield surface. Finally, it is shown that the MK-VPSC’s predictions are in good agreement with experimental data for AA5182-O and a DQ-type steel-sheet metal.     

Crossing of shears bands in 196Pb

High-spin states in 196Pb have been populated using the reaction ¹⁷⁰Er(³⁰Si,4n). The previously observed shears bands in this nucleus have been extended and some of their transitions have been reordered. They now form regular bands with band crossings. One of the bands splits into two pathways at high spin.     

A Compositional Model of Consciousness Based on Consciousness-Only

Scientific studies of consciousness rely on objects whose existence is assumed to be independent of any consciousness. On the contrary, we assume consciousness to be fundamental, and that one of the main features of consciousness is characterized as being other-dependent. We set up a framework which naturally subsumes this feature by defining a compact closed category where morphisms represent conscious processes. These morphisms are a composition of a set of generators, each being specified by their relations with other generators, and therefore co-dependent. The framework is general enough and fits well into a compositional model of consciousness. Interestingly, we also show how our proposal may become a step towards avoiding the hard problem of consciousness, and thereby address the combination problem of conscious experiences.     

Memory effects in polymers. V. Processing history versus thermally induced self-orientation of unoriented poly(chlorotrifluoroethylene) films

A peculiar phenomenon is reported whereby a melt-extruded, low-crystallinity, unoriented film of poly(chlorotrifluoroethylene) upon unconstrained thermal treatment, self-extends in the machine direction (MD) while shrinking along the transverse (TD) and normal/thickness (ND) directions. In addition to the expected increase in crystallinity, the annealing process leads to an unexpected development of crystalline orientation along the MD. This phenomenon is an example of “processing-induced memory effects” since it depends on the processing history of the starting film, e.g., melt-extrusion leads to the subject behavior whereas compression molding does not. We must mention that the melt-extruded films of poly(chlorotrifluoroethylene) are isotropic to start with, that is, MD and TD are indistinguishable prior to the annealing process. Furthermore, this phenomenon has not been observed for any other semicrystalline polymer and is believed to be the first citation for poly(chlorotrifluoroethylene) since its commercialization in 1957. Thermomechanical analysis (TMA) is the analytical technique that led to this novel phenomenon which was later substantiated by x-ray diffraction (XRD). ©1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.