Solid-state interdiffusion reactions in Ni/Ti and Ni/Zr multilayered thin films

We have performed a comparative transmission electron microscopy study of solid-state interdiffusion reactions in multilayered Ni/Zr and Ni/Ti thin films. The Ni-Zr reaction product was amorphous while the Ni-Ti reaction product was a simple intermetallic compound. Because thermodynamic and chemical properties of these two alloy systems are similar, we suggest kinetic origins for this difference in reaction product

DIRBE Minus 2MASS: Confirming the CIRB in 40 New Regions at 2.2 and 3.5 Microns

With the release of the 2MASS All-Sky Point Source Catalog, stellar fluxes from 2MASS are used to remove the contribution due to Galactic stars from the intensity measured by DIRBE in 40 new regions in the North and South Galactic polar caps. After subtracting the interplanetary and Galactic foregrounds, a consistent residual intensity of 14.69 +/- 4.49 kJy/sr at 2.2 microns is found. Allowing for a constant calibration factor between the DIRBE 3.5 microns and the 2MASS 2.2 microns fluxes, a similar analysis leaves a residual intensity of 15.62 +/- 3.34 kJy/sr at 3.5 microns. The intercepts of the DIRBE minus 2MASS correlation at 1.25 microns show more scatter and are a smaller fraction of the foreground, leading to a still weak limit on the CIRB of 8.88 +/- 6.26 kJy/sr (1 sigma).Comment: 25 pages LaTeX, 10 figures, 5 tables; Version accepted by the ApJ. Includes minor changes to the text including further discussion of zodiacal light issues and the allowance for variable stars in computing uncertainties in the stellar contribution to the DIRBE intensitie

An intelligent tutoring system for space shuttle diagnosis

An Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) transcends conventional computer-based instruction. An ITS is capable of monitoring and understanding student performance thereby providing feedback, explanation, and remediation. This is accomplished by including models of the student, the instructor, and the expert technician or operator in the domain of interest. The space shuttle fuel cell is the technical domain for the project described below. One system, Microcomputer Intelligence for Technical Training (MITT), demonstrates that ITS's can be developed and delivered, with a reasonable amount of effort and in a short period of time, on a microcomputer. The MITT system capitalizes on the diagnostic training approach called Framework for Aiding the Understanding of Logical Troubleshooting (FAULT) (Johnson, 1987). The system's embedded procedural expert was developed with NASA's C-Language Integrated Production (CLIP) expert system shell (Cubert, 1987)

Using Intelligent Simulation to Enhance Human Performance in Aircraft Maintenance

Human factors research and development investigates the capabilities and limitations of the human within a system. Of the many variables affecting human performance in the aviation maintenance system, training is among the most important. The advent of advanced technology hardware and software has created intelligent training simulations. This paper describes one advanced technology training system under development for the Federal Aviation Administration

Modeling pN2 through Geological Time: Implications for Planetary Climates and Atmospheric Biosignatures

Nitrogen is a major nutrient for all life on Earth and could plausibly play a similar role in extraterrestrial biospheres. The major reservoir of nitrogen at Earth's surface is atmospheric N2, but recent studies have proposed that the size of this reservoir may have fluctuated significantly over the course of Earth's history with particularly low levels in the Neoarchean - presumably as a result of biological activity. We used a biogeochemical box model to test which conditions are necessary to cause large swings in atmospheric N2 pressure. Parameters for our model are constrained by observations of modern Earth and reconstructions of biomass burial and oxidative weathering in deep time. A 1-D climate model was used to model potential effects on atmospheric climate. In a second set of tests, we perturbed our box model to investigate which parameters have the greatest impact on the evolution of atmospheric pN2 and consider possible implications for nitrogen cycling on other planets. Our results suggest that (a) a high rate of biomass burial would have been needed in the Archean to draw down atmospheric pN2 to less than half modern levels, (b) the resulting effect on temperature could probably have been compensated by increasing solar luminosity and a mild increase in pCO2, and (c) atmospheric oxygenation could have initiated a stepwise pN2 rebound through oxidative weathering. In general, life appears to be necessary for significant atmospheric pN2 swings on Earth-like planets. Our results further support the idea that an exoplanetary atmosphere rich in both N2 and O2 is a signature of an oxygen-producing biosphere.Comment: 33 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables (includes appendix), published in Astrobiolog

Synthesis and characteristics of polyarylene ether sulfones

A method utilizing potassium carbonate/dimethyl acetamide, as base and solvent respectively, was used for the synthesis of several homopolymers and copolymers derived from various bisphenols. It is demonstrated that this method deviates from simple second order kinetics; this deviation being due to the heterogeneous nature of the reaction. Also, it is shown that a liquid induced crystallization process can improve the solvent resistance of these polymers. Finally, a Monte Carlo simulation of the triad distribution of monomers in nonequilibrium copolycondensation is discussed

Microscopic analytical theory of a correlated, two-dimensional N-electron gas in a magnetic field

We present a microscopic, analytical theory describing a confined N-electron gas in two dimensions subject to an external magnetic field. The number of electrons N and strength of the electron-electron interaction can be arbitrarily large, and all Landau levels are included implicitly. A possible connection with the Integer and Fractional Quantum Hall Effects is proposed.Comment: The revised version contains minor changes to text. To be published in J. Phys: Condens. Mat

Group a streptococcal serotypes isolated from healthy schoolchildren in iran

Serotypes of group A streptococci are still a major cause of pharyngitis and some post-infectious sequelae such as rheumatic fever. As part of the worldwide effort to clarify the epidemiological pattern of group A streptococci in different countries, the present study was conducted to assess the prevalence of Streptococcus pyogenes serotypes in Iran. A total of 1588 throat swabs were taken from healthy school children in the city of Gorgan during February and March 1999. Of those isolates, 175 resulted positive for group A streptococci. The distribution pattern was similar for girls and boys, with 10.8 and 11.2, respectively. Urban school children showed a higher rate of colonization compared to those in rural areas. Serotyping was performed on 65 of the positive isolates using standard techniques, and only 21 (32) were M-type isolates. Their profiles fell into four types with M1 predominating, which could reflect the presence of rheumatic fever in the region. However, when isolates were challenged for T-antigen types, nearly all were positive (94). The pattern of T types was diverse (18 types), with the most common T types being T1 (26), TB3264 (15), TB\1-19 & B\25\1-19 (9.2) and T2 & 2\28 (7.7). When isolates were tested for opacity factor, only 23 (35) were positive while 34 (52) responded to the serum opacity reaction test. Although the number of isolates in this study was not sufficient to make any epidemiological conclusions, the scarcity of serotyping studies in Iran could render these data useful for future attempts to develop a streptococcal vaccine