Development and study of chemical vapor deposited tantalum base alloys

A technique for the chemical vapor deposition of alloys was developed. The process, termed pulsing, involves the periodic injection of reactant gases into a previously-evacuated reaction chamber where they blanket the substrate almost instantaneously. Formation of alternating layers of the alloy components and subsequent homogenization allows the formation of an alloy of uniform composition with the composition being determined by the duration and relative numbers of the various cycles. The technique has been utilized to produce dense alloys of uniform thickness and composition (Ta- 10 wt % W) by depositing alternating layers of Ta and W by the hydrogen reduction of TaCl5 and WCl6. A similar attempt to deposit a Ta - 8 wt % W - 2 wt% Hf alloy was unsuccessful because of the difficulty in reducing HfCl4 at temperatures below those at which gas phase nucleation of Ta and W occurred

Editorial: Woody plants and forest ecosystems in a complex world—Ecological interactions and physiological functioning above and below ground

International audienc

Precise measurements of electron and hole g-factors of single quantum dots by using nuclear field

We demonstrated the cancellation of the external magnetic field by the nuclear field at one edge of the nuclear polarization bistability in single InAlAs quantum dots. The cancellation for the electron Zeeman splitting gives the precise value of the hole g-factor. By combining with the exciton g-factor that is obtained from the Zeeman splitting for linearly polarized excitation, the magnitude and sign of the electron and hole g-factors in the growth direction are evaluated.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figure

3D Neuro-electronic interface devices for neuromuscular control: Design studies and realisation steps

In order to design the shape and dimensions of new 3D multi-microelectrode information transducers properly, i. e. adapted to the scale of information delivery to and from peripheral nerve fibres, a number of studies were, and still are, being performed on modelling and simulation of electrical volume conduction inside and outside nerves, on animal experiments on stimulation and recording with single wires and linear arrays, and on new technologies for 3D micro-fabrication. This paper presents a selection of the results of these `Neurotechnology¿ studies at the University of Twente. The experimental and simulation results apply primarily to the peripheral motor nerves of the rat, but are also of interest for neural interfacing with myelinated nerves in man, as fascicles in man are about the same size as in the rat

Experimental realization of catalytic CH_4 hydroxylation predicted for an iridium NNC pincer complex, demonstrating thermal, protic, and oxidant stability

A discrete, air, protic, and thermally stable (NNC)Ir(III) pincer complex was synthesized that catalytically activates the CH bond of methane in trifluoroacetic acid; functionalization using NaIO_4 and KIO_3 gives the oxy-ester

Tuning independently Fermi energy and spin splitting in Rashba systems: Ternary surface alloys on Ag(111)

By detailed first-principles calculations we show that the Fermi energy and the Rashba splitting in disordered ternary surface alloys (BiPbSb)/Ag(111) can be independently tuned by choosing the concentrations of Bi and Pb. The findings are explained by three fundamental mechanisms, namely the relaxation of the adatoms, the strength of the atomic spin-orbit coupling, and band filling. By mapping the Rashba characteristics,i.e.the splitting and the Rashba energy, and the Fermi energy of the surface states in the complete range of concentrations. Our results suggest to investigate experimentally effects which rely on the Rashba spin-orbit coupling in dependence on spin-orbit splitting and band filling.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure

Detoxification in rehabilitation in England: effective continuity of care or unhappy bedfellows?

There is evidence that residential detoxification alone does not provide satisfactory treatment outcomes and that outcomes are significantly enhanced when clients completing residential detoxification attend rehabilitation services (Gossop, Marsden, Stewart, & Rolfe, 1999; Ghodse, Reynolds, Baldacchino, et al., 2002). One way of increasing the likelihood of this continuity of treatment is by providing detoxification and rehabilitation within the same treatment facility to prevent drop-out, while the client awaits a rehabilitation bed or in the transition process. However, there is little research evidence available on the facilities that offer both medical detoxification and residential rehabilitation. The current study compares self-reported treatment provision in 87 residential rehabilitation services in England, 34 of whom (39.1%) reported that they offered detoxification services within their treatment programmes. Although there were no differences in self-reported treatment philosophies, residential rehabilitation services that offered detoxification were typically of shorter duration overall, had significantly more beds and reported offering more group work than residential rehabilitation services that did not offer detoxification. Outcomes were also different, with twice as many clients discharged on disciplinary grounds from residential rehabilitation services without detoxification facilities. The paper questions the UK classification of residential drug treatment services as either detoxification or rehabilitation and suggests the need for greater research focus on the aims, processes and outcomes of this group of treatment providers

Unexpected Effect of Internal Degrees of Freedom on Transverse Phonons in Supercooled Liquids

We show experimentally that in a supercooled liquid composed of molecules with internal degrees of freedom the internal modes contribute to the frequency dependent shear viscosity and damping of transverse phonons, which results in an additional broadening of the transverse Brillouin lines. Earlier, only the effect of internal modes on the frequency dependent bulk viscosity and damping of longitudinal phonons was observed and explained theoretically in the limit of weak coupling of internal degrees of freedom to translational motion. A new theory is needed to describe this new effect. We also demonstrate, that the contributions of structural relaxation and internal processes to the width of the Brillouin lines can be separated by measurements under high pressure