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Notes: We describe a prototype linear vacuum-ultraviolet x-ray pinhole camera based on the luminescence of a phosphor screen working in reflection mode. The luminescence emitted by the phosphor, in response to radiation selected by a broadband filter, is detected using a 1024 pixel intensified linear array detector. By operating this detector with integration times from 20 to 50 ms, random plasma fluctuations can be smeared out, so that structures related to the magnetic topology can be searched for. © 2002 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: The interaction potential energy surface (PES) of H4 is of great importance for quantum chemistry as a test case for molecule–molecule interactions. It is also required for a detailed understanding of certain astrophysical processes, namely collisional excitation and dissociation of H2 in molecular clouds, at densities too low to be accessible experimentally. The 6101 ab initio H4 energies reported in 1991 by Boothroyd et al. demonstrated large inaccuracies in analytic H4 surfaces available at that time. Some undesirable features remained in the more accurate H4 surfaces fitted to these energies by Keogh and by Aguado et al., due in part to the relatively sparse coverage of the six-dimensional H4 conformation space afforded by the 6101 ab initio energies. To improve the coverage, 42 079 new ab initio H4 energies were calculated, using Buenker's multiple reference (single and) double excitation configuration interaction program. Here the lowest excited states were computed as well as the ground state, and energies for the original 6101 conformations were recomputed. The ab initio energies have an estimated rms "random" error of ∼0.5 millihartree and a systematic error of ∼1 millihartree (0.6 kcal/mol). A new analytical H4 PES was fitted to these 48 180 ab initio energies (and to an additional 13 367 points generated at large separations), yielding a significant improvement over previous H4 surfaces. This new PES has an rms error of 1.43 millihartree relative to these 48 180 ab initio energies (the fitting procedure used a reduced weight for high energies, yielding a weighted rms error of 1.15 millihartree for these 48 180 ab initio energies). For the 39 064 ab initio energies that lie below twice the H2 dissociation energy, the new PES has an rms error of 0.95 millihartree. These rms errors are comparable to the estimated error in the ab initio energies themselves. The new PES also fits the van der Waals well to an accuracy of about 5%. For relatively compact conformations (energies higher than the H2 dissociation energy), the conical intersection between the ground state and the first excited state is the largest source of error in the analytic surface. The position of this conical intersection forms a somewhat complicated three-dimensional hypersurface in the six-dimensional conformation space of H4. A large portion of the position of the conical intersection has been mapped out, but trying to include the conical intersection explicitly in an analytic surface is beyond the scope of the present paper. © 2002 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: The superplastic behavior of YBa2Cu3O7−x ceramic superconductors was studied. Large compressive deformation over 100% strain was measured in the temperature range of 775°–875°C, with a strain rate of 1 × 10−5 to 1 × 10−3/s, and a grain size of 0.5–1.4 μm. The nature of the deformation was investigated in terms of three deformation parameters: the stress exponent (n), the grain size exponent (p), and the activation energy (Q). The measured values of these parameters were n= 2 ± 0.3, p= 2.7 ± 0.7, and Q= 745 ± 100 kJ/mol. With the aid of the deformation map, the deformation mechanism was identified as grain boundary sliding accommodated by grain boundary diffusion. The conclusion is consistent with the microstructural observations made by SEM and TEM: the invariance of equiaxed grain shape, the absence of significant dislocation activity, no grain boundary second phases, and no significant texture development.

Notes: Pb[(Mg1/3Nb2/3)0.65Ti0.35]O3 (PMN–35PT) powder was prepared using the columbite precursor method. Fully dense compacts were formed by hot-pressing the powder at 950°C, and then the compacts were annealed at 1150°C for 5 and 10 h, respectively. Dielectric and piezoelectric properties of the as-hot-pressed and annealed samples were measured and correlated with microstructure. The as-hot-pressed material exhibited relaxor–ferroelectric-like behavior, with a relatively low dielectric constant maximum measured at 1 kHz (Km@1kHz) of 8160. Annealing resulted in a transition to weak normal-ferroelectric behavior, a shift in the dielectric maximum temperature from 190°C to 169°C, and a dramatic increase of Km@1kHz to a maximum value of 41 720 for the longer anneal. The as-hot-pressed microstructure was chemically heterogeneous, characterized by submicrometer-sized regions of varying magnesium, niobium, and titanium content that likely originated from chemical heterogeneities that were present in the as-prepared PMN-PT powder. The as-hot-pressed properties have been explained as being the integrated response of many discrete ferroelectric responses as dictated for each of these regions by the local chemistry. The transition on annealing has been explained in terms of chemical homogenization to a near-morphotropic phase-boundary composition that is intrinsically weak normal-ferroelectric. Differences in polarization-versus-electric-field and strain-versus-electric-field behavior between the hot-pressed and annealed materials have been discussed in terms of differences in domain mobility.

Notes: X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) depends on stereochemical features of coordination polyhedra around probe atoms. K-edge XANES of Y and Zr segregated in alumina grain boundaries has been obtained and analyzed using metallic Y and Zr, Y2O3, YAG, and monoclinic ZrO2 as standards. Grain-boundary-segregated Y and Zr show a positive chemical shift, and the magnitude of the shift, as compared with that of Y2O3 and ZrO2, respectively, is different for Y and Zr, indicating that, relative to Y2O3 and ZrO2, charge transfers for the grain-boundary-segregated Y and Zr are different. This result is also supported by the strength of the threshold resonance. A pre-edge shoulder is seen in K-edge XANES for grain-boundary-segregated Y and Zr but not for Y2O3 and ZrO2. This shoulder is attributed to the 1s→ 4d transition, which is normally forbidden, but can occur because of d–p mixing, which is favored by a tetrahedral coordination configuration. These results suggest that some of the grain-boundary-segregated Y and Zr have coordination configurations with a well-defined tetrahedral symmetry. The XANES results are compared with those obtained from EXAFS. Implications of these results for understanding of the enhanced creep resistance in alumina are also discussed.

Notes: Caenorhabditis elegans has previously been used as an alternative to mammalian models of infection with bacterial pathogens. We have developed a liquid-based assay to measure the effect of bacteria on the feeding ability of C. elegans. Using this assay we have shown that Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PA14, Burkholderia pseudomallei and Yersinia pestis were able to inhibit feeding of C. elegans strain N2. An increase in sensitivity of the assay was achieved by using C. elegans mutant phm-2, in place of the wild-type strain. Using this assay,P. aeruginosa PA01 inhibited the feeding of C. elegans mutant phm-2. Such liquid-based feeding assays are ideally suited to the high-throughput screening of mutants of bacterial pathogens.