Effects of hydrogen on metals

Several rules to guide choice of materials, and methods of welding, electroplating, and heat treatment will provide a method for minimizing failures in storage tanks and related hardware. Failures are caused by high-pressure hydrogen effects, the formation of hydrides in titanium, and hydrogen absorption through various metals processing techniques

Lightweight magnesium-lithium alloys show promise

Evaluation tests show that magnesium-lithium alloys are lighter and more ductile than other magnesium alloys. They are being used for packaging, housings, containers, where light weight is more important than strength

The client-oriented model of cultural competence in healthcare organizations

The paper aims to propose a new model of cultural competence in health organizations based on the paradigm of client orientation. Starting from a literature review, this study takes inspiration from dimensions that characterize the cultural competence of health organizations, and re-articulates them in more detail by applying a client orientation view. The resulting framework is articulated into six dimensions (formal references; procedures and practices; cultural competences of human resources; cultural orientation toward client; partnership with community; and self-assessment) that define the ability of a health organization to achieve its mission, acknowledging, understanding, and valorizing cultural differences of internal clients (staff) and external clients (consumers). This study makes an effort to address the paucity of studies linking approaches to managing cultural diversity in health organizations with cultural competence within the framework of client orientation

Music Algebra: Harmonic Progressions Analysis and CAT (Cataldo Advanced Transformations)

In this article we formally introduce an original method, the purpose of which fundamentally lies in providing musicians with a reliable instrument that may effectively assist them in carrying out, as simply and intuitively as possible, the analysis of whatever chord progression, without resorting to the so-called "modal interchange". Net of a single exception (a routine named "structure reduction"), the whole method is based on a series of harmonic transformations. The above-mentioned transformations, named CAT (the acronym stands for Cataldo Advanced Transformations), turn out to be nothing but inverse chord substitutions characterized by specific conditions and restrictions. The method arises from the analysis of a considerable number of chord progressions, devoting particular (although not exclusive) attention to traditional jazz compositions: in this regard, it is worth highlighting how a significant improvement of CAT has been achieved by conducting an extremely thorough analysis of the so-called LEGO Bricks (public domain harmonic patterns)

Stability of a hard-sphere binary quasicrystal

The stability of a quasicrystalline structure, recently obtained in a molecular-dynamics simulation of rapid cooling of a binary melt, is analyzed for binary hard-sphere mixtures within a density-functional approach. It is found that this quasicrystal is metastable relative to crystalline and fluid phases for diameter ratios above 0.83. Such trend is partially reversed for lower diameter ratios, since the quasicrystal becomes stable with respect to the crystal but does not reach a coexistence with the fluid.Comment: 14 pages, 6 eps figures included. Revised version to appear in Phil. Mag.

The “Light Clocks” Thought Experiment and the “Fake” Lorentz Transformations

In this paper an alternative version of the well-known “light clocks” experiment is discussed. The so-called Lorentz transformations, backbone of the Special Relativity theory, are herein deduced by resorting to the above-mentioned experiment, albeit with a different meaning. Time dilation and length contraction are not considered as being real phenomena. Time, in fact, is peremptorily postulated as being absolute. Nonetheless, this strong assumption does not imply that instruments and devices of whatever kind, finalized to measure time, are not influenced by motion. In particular, although the “light clock” in the mobile frame ticks, so to say, more slowly than the one at rest, it can be easily shown how no time dilation actually occurs. The apparent length contraction is considered as being nothing but a banal consequence of a deceptive time measurement

On the Schwarzschild Solution: a Review

In this paper the well-known Schwarzschild Solution is discussed. In the first section, by resorting, as usual, to the Einstein Field Equations, a short summary of the conventional derivation is provided. In the second section, we carry out an alternative derivation of the Schwarzschild Metric. The above-mentioned procedureis based upon several noteworthy hypotheses, among which the existence of a further spatial dimension stands out. Initially, we postulate a Universe identifiable with a 4-ball, homogeneously filled with matter, whose radius equates the Schwarzschild Radius. Then, in order to obtain the vacuum field, all the available mass is ideally concentrated in a single point.By imposing a specific condition concerning the measured radius, we deduce a metric that, if subjected to an appropriate parametrization, allows us to finally obtain the Schwarzschild solution

An electric vehicle propulsion system's impact on battery performance: An overview

The performance of two types of batteries, lead-acid and nickel-zinc, was measured as a function of the charging and discharging demands anticipated from electric vehicle propulsion systems. The benefits of rapid high current charging were mixed: although it allowed quick charges, the energy efficiency was reduced. For low power (overnight) charging the current wave shapes delivered by the charger to the battery tended to have no effect on the battery cycle life. The use of chopper speed controllers with series traction motors resulted in a significant reduction in the energy available from a battery whenever the motor operates at part load. The demand placed on a battery by an electric vehicle propulsion system containing electrical regenerative braking confirmed significant improvment in short term performance of the battery

Towards a Music Algebra: Fundamental Harmonic Substitutions in Jazz

In this paper the most common harmonic substitutions, at least as far as jazz music is concerned, are unconventionally addressed. The novelty consists in introducing a new method finalized to formally defining and logically applyingall the fundamental harmonic substitutions, by exploiting anunusually rigorous notation. After defining the substitutions and discussing their applicability, we resort to them in order to modify some simple harmonic progressions substantially based upon a banal major turnaround. As explicitly suggested by the title, the modifications are carried out by following an extremely formal line of reasoning: all the logic passages are accurately described by resorting to a notation so similar to the one commonly employed in mathematics and physics, that the harmonic analysis of a song turns out to be de facto comparable to the demonstration of a theorem