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Abstract: Thin films of different phases of lead-free sodium–bismuth–titanate were epitaxially grown on SrTiO3 and NdGaO3 substrates by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition. Aurivillius phases with m =3, m =3.5 and m =4 and the Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 perovskite phase were obtained by varying the substrate temperature and the Na/Bi ratio in the gas phase. Investigations of the impact of crystallographic structure and incorporated film lattice strain on local piezo- and ferroelectric properties were carried out by piezoresponse force microscopy experiments using dual AC resonance tracking combined with a tip-sample contact modeling procedure to determine an effective value for the piezoelectric coefficient for each sample. Comparative piezoresponse force microscopy measurements revealed a significant increase of the average effective piezoelectric coefficient d zz when the film structure changed from an Aurivillius phase to the perovskite phase. Films of perovskite phase have also shown the possibility of local tip-induced polarization switching. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The militarization of women during the Second World War, unprecedented in both quantitative and qualitative terms, has been accounted for variously, though unsatisfactorily, with regard to the impact on the warring nations' gender order. Using national variations in the accessibility of combat functions to women, the degree of pressure exerted on a given war-time society's gender order is explored by comparing Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union, which differ markedly regarding both the military exigencies placed upon them and the degree of female militarization adopted. The comparative perspective reveals differences in what dimensions are perceived as problematic in the relation of gender and combat and what are the conditions shaping this perception. Secondly, the conditions become apparent under which combat functions are made available to women, and thirdly, the long-term effects of the reconfiguration of the gender order under war-time conditions can be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]