Search

A series of unfilled and stabilized natural rubber compounds varying in concentration of tetramethylthiuram disulfide (TMTD) was analyzed using rheometry, hardness, dynamic mechanical properties, stress–strain (Mooney–Rivlin), equilibrium solvent swell (Flory–Rhener), and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) by the double quantum (DQ) technique. Crosslinking level increased proportionately with TMTD concentration, and the reaction ratio of three TMTD molecules producing one crosslink was generally upheld. Unreacted TMTD acted as a pseudo-plasticizer and lowered the chain entanglement density with increasing TMTD content. DQ NMR confirmed that the elastic network was homogeneous and that the absolute chemical crosslink distributions broaden with increasing curative level. Upon mild heat aging, zinc complexes based on TMTD/ZnO are likely responsible for causing additional crosslinking, explaining the rise in crosslink density by equilibrium solvent swell and DQ NMR. The amine-based antioxidant, the generation of thiocarbamate radicals from TMTD, and the heat stability of the predominant monosulfide crosslinking system helped to limit network breakdown through chain scission. The chain entanglement increase is likely due to reduction of the plasticizing effect caused by unreacted curative. The distribution of crosslinks slightly broadens toward higher total crosslink density because of the generation of additional chemical crosslinks and chain entanglement densification.

Methodology. 48 somatically healthy patients of both gender in age from 25 up to 45 was examined, that included questioning, examination, index estimation of the state of fabrics of paradontium, doppler ultrasound of vessels of paradontium with the use of device of "Minimax-Doppler-K" NB model with the sensor 20 Mhz. Linear speed of blood stream, volume speed of blood stream were defined. Patients were divided into 3 groups: 1 - basic group (n=22) are patients with chronic catarrhal gingivitis where the standard treatment was complemented by application of injections of gel, containing 1 % of hyaluronic acid and 0,015 % of hydrophilic polysaccharide of AGEG, under a mucous membrane on a mucogingival fold; 2 is a control group (n=16) patients with chronic catarrhal gingivitis and the standard treatment (in accordance with clinical recommendations) was complemented; 3 group are people with a clinically healthy paradontium (n=10). Dynamic estimation of efficiency of treatment was conducted on the 2 day and 7th day, 14th day, in 1 month, 3 months.Results. There was a stable reduction of PMA index in a basic group, that shows the efficiency of treatment and remission in the period of 3 months observation. More low level of PBI and PI (p

Inter-criteria analysis was employed in VGO samples having a saturate content between 0.8 and 93.1 wt.% to define the statistically significant relations between physicochemical properties, empirical structural models and vacuum gas oil compositional information. The use of a logistic function and employment of a non-linear least squares method along with the aromatic ring index allowed for our newly developed correlation to accurately predict the saturate content of VGOs. The empirical models developed in this study can be used not only for obtaining the valuable structural information necessary to predict the behavior of VGOs in the conversion processes but can also be utilized to detect incorrectly performed SARA analyses. This work confirms the possibility of predicting the contents of VGO compounds from physicochemical properties and empirical models.

The present paper describes the implementation of a microstepping control of a stepper motor with advanced mixed current decay mode. The proposed development is based on a programmable field array (FPGA) and a galvanically separated ADC, which allows for continuous measurement and filtering of current through the windings of the motor used. It makes a comparison of the maximum reached frequencies of the control pulses supplied to the motor windings for the proposed algorithm with advanced mixed current decay mode and microstepping control without current decay mode.

We systematically study the oxidation properties of sputter-deposited TiB2.5 coatings up to 700 °C. Oxide-scale thickness dox increases linearly with time ta for 300, 400, 500, and 700 °C, while an oxidation-protective behavior occurs with dox=250∙ta0.2 at 600 °C. Oxide-layer’s structure changes from amorphous to rutile/anatase-TiO2 at temperatures ≥ 500 °C. Abnormally low oxidation rate at 600 °C is attributed to a highly dense columnar TiO2-sublayer growing near oxide/film interface with a top-amorphous thin layer, suppressing oxygen diffusion. A model is proposed to explain the oxide-scale evolution at 600 °C. Decreasing heating rate to 1.0 °C/min plays a noticeable role in the TiB2.5 oxidation. Funding: Swedish Research Council VR [2018-03957, 2019-00191, 2021-00357]; Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF); Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Advanced Functional Materials (AFM) at Link o ?; ping University (Faculty Grant SFO Mat LiU) [2009 00971]; Swedish National Graduate School in Neutron Scattering (SwedNess); Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation [KAW 2015.0043]

Direct-current magnetron sputtering (DCMS) and high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) were used to deposit understoichiometric Ti(1-x)Al(x)B(2-y )diboride coatings by sputtering from a segmented TiB2-AlB2 target using Ar and Kr as sputtering gas. For films with a fixed Al/(Ti + Al) ratio of x = 0.1 (Ti0.9Al0.1B2-y), the B content was varied with y & ISIN; (0.1, 0.6 and 0.7). For films with a fixed y = 0.7 (Ti1-xAlxB1.3), the Al content was varied with x & ISIN; (0.1, 0.4 and 0.7). Evaluation of the mechanical properties of the Ti1-xAlxB1.3 samples showed a reduction in both hardness and elastic modulus with increasing Al concentration, while the Ti0.9Al0.1B2-y samples showed a hardness increase with decreasing B content. Thus, Ti0.9Al0.1B1.3 films exhibited a superior hardness of 46.2 +/- 1.1 GPa and an elastic modulus of 523 & PLUSMN; 7 GPa, compared to the values for Ti0.9Al0.1B1.4 and Ti0.9Al0.1B1.9, showing a hardness of 44 +/- 1 GPa and 36 +/- 1 GPa, and an elastic modulus of 569 +/- 7 GPa and 493 +/- 6 GPa, respectively. The oxidation behavior of the mechanically most promising Ti0.9Al0.1B2-y sample series was investigated through air-annealing at 600 C for durations from 1 h to 10 h. All films formed a mixed non-conformal Al2O3-TiO2 oxide scale which acts as an inward and outward diffusion barrier, significantly reducing the oxidation rate compared to TiBz films, which form an oxide scale consisting of porous TiO2. The thinnest oxide scale after 10 h was found in the B-deficient samples, Ti0.9Al0.1B1.3 and Ti0.9Al0.1B1.4, at ~200 nm, which is significantly below that for Ti0.9Al0.1B1.9 at 320 nm. The enhanced oxidation resistance of highly understoichiometric films is due to the elimination of the B-rich tissue phase that is present at the grain boundaries for higher B content, where the latter has been shown to enhance the rate of oxidation in borides. Funding Agencies|Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) [EM16-0004, RIF 14-0074]; Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) [EM16-0004]; Knut and Alice Wallenberg (KAW) Foundation for a Fellowship/Scholar Grant [EM16-0004, RIF 14-0074]; KAW; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University (Faculty Grant SFOM at-LiU) [RIF 14-0074]; Swedish Research council [EM16-0004]; German Research Foundation (DFG) [RIF 14-0074]; [KAW 2015.0043]; [2009 00971]; [2016-04412]; [SCHN 735/42-1]

We recently showed that sputter-deposited Zr1-xTaxBy thin films have hexagonal AlB2-type columnar nanostructure in which column boundaries are B-rich for x < 0.2, while Ta-rich for x ≥ 0.2. As-deposited layers with x ≥ 0.2 exhibit higher hardness and, simultaneously, enhanced toughness. Here, we study the mechanical properties of ZrB2.4, Zr0.8Ta0.2B1.8, and Zr0.7Ta0.3B1.5 films annealed in Ar atmosphere as a function of annealing temperature Ta up to 1200 °C. In-situ and ex-situ nanoindentation analyses reveal that all films undergo age hardening up to Ta = 800 °C, with the highest hardness achieved for Zr0.8Ta0.2B1.8 (45.5±1.0 GPa). The age hardening, which occurs without any phase separation or decomposition, can be explained by point-defect recovery that enhances chemical bond density. Although hardness decreases at Ta > 800 °C due mainly to recrystallization, column coarsening, and planar defect annihilation, all layers show hardness values above 34 GPa over the entire Ta range.

Vacuum : surface engineering, surface instrumentation & vacuum technology 186, 110057 (2021). doi:10.1016/j.vacuum.2021.110057, Published by Elsevier Science, Amsterdam [u.a.]

In view of the increasing demand for achieving sustainable development, the quest for lowering energy consumption during thin film growth by magnetron sputtering becomes of particular importance. In addition, there is a demand for low-temperature growth of dense, hard coatings for protecting temperature-sensitive substrates. Here, we explore a method, in which thermally-driven adatom mobility, necessary to obtain high-quality fully-dense films, is replaced with that supplied by effective low-energy recoil creation resulting from high-mass metal ion irradiation of the growing film surface. This approach allows the growth of dense and hard films with no external heating at substrate temperatures T-s not exceeding 130 degrees C in a hybrid high-power impulse and de magnetron co-sputtering (HiPIMS/DCMS) setup involving a high mass (m > 180 amu) HiPIMS target and metal- ion-synchronized bias pulses. We specifically investigate the effect of the metal ion mass on the extent of densification, phase content, nanostructure, and mechanical properties of metastable cubic Ti0.50Al0.50N based thin films, which present outstanding challenges for phase stability control. Ti0.50Al0.50N based thin films are irradiated by group VIB transition metal (TM) target ions generated by Me-HiPIMS discharge, in which Me = Cr (m(Cr)= 52.0 amu), Mo (m(Mo) = 96.0 amu), and W (m(W) = 183.8 amu). Three series of (Ti1-yAly)(1-x)MexN films are grown with x = Me/(Me+Al+Ti) varied intentionally by adjusting the DCMS powers, while y = Al/(Al+Ti) also varies as a result of Me+ ion irradiation. Results reveal a strong dependence of film properties on the mass of the HiPIMS-generated metal ions. All layers deposited with Cr+ irradiation exhibit porous nanostructure, high ox- ygen content, and poor mechanical properties. In contrast, (Ti1-yAly)(1-x)WxN films are fully-dense even with the lowest W concentration, x = 0.09, show no evidence of hexagonal AlN precipitation, and exhibit state-of the-art mechanical properties typical of Ti0.50Al0.50N grown at 500 degrees C. The process energy consumption is lowered by 64% with no negative impact on the coating quality. TRIM simulations provide an insight into the densification mechanisms. Funding Agencies|Swedish Energy AgencySwedish Energy Agency [51201-1]; Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation Scholar Grant [KAW2016.0358]; Competence Center Functional Nanoscale Materials (FunMat-II) VINNOVA grantVinnova [201605156]; Swedish Research Council VR Grant [2018-03957]; VINNOVA grantVinnova [2019-04882]; Carl Tryggers Stiftelse for Vetenskaplig Forskning [CTS 17:166, CTS 15:219, CTS 14:431]; Swedish Research Council VR-RFISwedish Research Council [2017-00646_9]; Swedish Foundation for Strategic ResearchSwedish Foundation for Strategic Research [RIF14-0053]

Refractory transition-metal (TM) diborides have high melting points, excellent hardness, and good chemical stability. However, these properties are not sufficient for applications involving extreme environments that require high mechanical strength as well as oxidation and corrosion resistance. Here, we study the effect of Cr addition on the properties of ZrB2-rich Zr1-xCrxBy thin films grown by hybrid high-power impulse and dc magnetron co-sputtering (Cr-HiPIMS/ZrB2-DCMS) with a 100-V Cr-metal-ion synchronized potential. Cr metal fraction, x = Cr/(Zr+Cr), is increased from 0.23 to 0.44 by decreasing the power Pzrb2 applied to the DCMS ZrB2 target from 4000 to 2000 W, while the average power, pulse width, and frequency applied to the HiPIMS Cr target are maintained constant. In addition, y decreases from 2.18 to 1.11 as a function of Pzrb2, as a result of supplying Cr to the growing film and preferential B resputtering caused by the pulsed Cr-ion flux. ZrB2.18, Zr0.77Cr0.23B1.52, Zr0.71Cr0.29B1.42, and Zr0.68Cr0.32B1.38 2 films have hexagonal AlB2 crystal structure with a columnar nanostructure, while Zr0.64Cr0.36B1.30 and Zr0.56Cr0.44B1.11 are amorphous. All films show hardness above 30 GPa. Zr0.56Cr0.44B1.11 alloys exhibit much better toughness, wear, oxidation, and corrosion resistance than ZrB2.18. This combination of properties makes Zr0.56Cr0.44B1.11 ideal candidates for numerous strategic applications. Funding agencies: We acknowledge support from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg (KAW) foundation for Project funding (KAW 2015.0043). Financial support from the Swedish Research Council VR Grant 2018–03957 and 642-2013-8020, the VINNOVA Grant 2019–04882, and Carl Tryggers Stiftelse contracts CTS 15:219, CTS 17:166, and CTS 14:431 are also gratefully acknowledged. Furthermore, the authors acknowledge financial support from the Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linköping University (Faculty Grant SFO Mat LiU No. 2009 00971). Supports from the Swedish research council VR-RFI (#2017–00646_9) for the Accelerator based ion-technological center and from the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (contract RIF14-0053; for the tandem accelerator laboratory in Uppsala University, and contract RIF14-0074; for the electron microscopy laboratory) are acknowledged.

Transition-metal diboride thin films, which have high melting points, excellent hardness, and good chemical and thermal conductivity, severely suffer from rapid oxidation in air. Here, we explore the influence of varying B content and resulting nanostructure change on the oxidation properties of TiBx thin films, with x = 1.43, 2.20, and 2.70. Results show that all as-deposited layers have columnar structure. The column boundaries of asdeposited TiB2.20 and TiB2.20 films grown by direct current magnetron sputtering (DCMS) are B-rich, while the as-deposited TiB1.43 films grown by high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) show no apparent grain boundary phases and contain Ti-rich planar defects. The oxidation rate of TiBL43 air-annealed at 400 degrees C up to 48 h is significantly lower than that of TiB2.20 and TiB2.20 films. The oxidation rate of TiB1.43, TiB2.20, and TiB2.20 films was measured at 2.9 +/- 1.5, 7.1 +/- 1.0, and 20.0 +/- 5.0 nm/h, respectively, with no spallation of even as thick oxide scales as 0.5 mu m in any of the films. The improved oxidation resistance can be explained by the absence of B-rich tissue phase at the column boundaries of understoichiometric TiBx films, a phase that interlaces the nanocolumnar TiB2 structures in the corresponding overstoichiometric films. An easy oxidation pathway is thus eliminated. Funding Agencies|Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF)Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research [EM16-0004]; Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (KAW)Knut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation [KAW 2015.0043, RIF 14-0074]; KAW; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University (Faculty Grant SFO Mat-LiU) [2009 00971]; Swedish Research CouncilSwedish Research CouncilEuropean Commission [642-2013-8020, 2016-04412]

The present paper proposes a mathematical model for the examination of dynamic processes of a motorvehicle during operation in different regimes. A non-linear mathematical model based on the equations for joint movement of an engine and an operating machine is created in this respect. The behaviour of the system is examined at operating regimes of an internal combustion engine (ICE) during idle running, motor-vehicle starting with clutch engagement, motor-vehicle accelerating at engaged gear. The transitional performance includes the transition of the engine operation from idle running to external frequency characteristics. Developed, accordingly, is a computing programme for analysis of the transitional performance of an ICE during starting at initial state without motion and consecutive acceleration. The changes of the kinematic and ecological parameters of an ICE during its operation in transitional performance are determined and graphically presented.

Hybrid high power impulse/direct current magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS/DCMS) film growth technique with metal-ion-synchronized substrate bias allows for significant energy savings as compared to conventional PVD methods. For carefully selected type of metal ion irradiation, taking into account ion mass, ionization potential, and reactivity towards working gas, fully dense and hard films can be obtained with no intentional substrate heating. The thermally-driven adatom mobility, which is an essential densification mechanism in conventional film growth that takes place at elevated temperatures, is replaced with that supplied by effective low-energy recoil creation. In this contribution we explore effects of the high-mass W+ irradiation, which has proven to be the most efficient in densifying Ti0.50Al0.50N layers, serving here as a model system, grown with no substrate heating. We study the effects of two essential parameters: W+ energy EW+ and W concentration x, on film porosity, phase content, nanostructure, and mechanical properties. EW+ varies from similar to 90 to similar to 630 eV (controlled by substrate bias voltage amplitude V-s) and x from 0.02 to 0.12 (controlled by the HiPIMS pulse length), while the HiPIMS peak target current is kept constant. Results reveal that a strong coupling exists between the W+ incident energy and the minimum W concentration required to grow dense layers. Funding Agencies|Swedish Research Council VRSwedish Research Council [2018-03957]; Swedish Energy AgencySwedish Energy Agency [51201-1]; Knut and Alice Wallenberg FoundationKnut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation [KAW2016.0358]; Competence Center Functional Nanoscale Materials (FunMat-II) VINNOVA grantVinnova [2016-05156]; Carl Tryggers Stiftelse for Vetenskaplig Forskning [CTS 20:150, CTS 15:219, CTS 14:431]; Swedish research council VR-RFISwedish Research Council [2017-00646_9]; Swedish Foundation for Strategic ResearchSwedish Foundation for Strategic Research [RIF14-0053]

The atomic structure and local composition of high quality epitaxial substoichiometric titanium diboride (TiB1.9) thin film, deposited by unbalanced magnetron sputtering, were studied using analytical high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, density functional theory, and image simulations. The unpaired Ti is pinpointed to inclusion of Ti-based stacking faults within a few atomic layers, which terminates the {1 (1) over bar 00} prismatic planes of the crystal structure and attributed to the absence of B between Ti planes that locally relaxes the structure. This mechanism allows the line compound to accommodate off-stoichiometry and remain a line compound between defects. The planar defects are embedded in otherwise stoichiometric TiB2 and are delineated by insertion of dislocations. An accompanied decrease in Ti-Ti bond lengths along and across the faults is observed. (c) 2020ActaMaterialiaInc. PublishedbyElsevierLtd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Funding Agencies|Swedish Research CouncilSwedish Research Council [2016-04412, 642-2013-8020, 2016-07213]; Knut and Alice Wallenberg FoundationKnut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation [KAW 2015.0043]; Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF)Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research [EM16-00 04, RIF 14-0074]; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University (Faculty Grant SFO-Mat-LiU) [2009 00971]

TiBx thin films with a B content of 1.43 ≤ x ≤ 2.70 were synthesized using high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) and direct-current magnetron sputtering (DCMS). HiPIMS allows compositions ranging from understoichiometric to overstoichiometric dense TiBx thin films with a B/Ti ratio between 1.43 and 2.06, while DCMS yields overstoichiometric TiBx films with a B/Ti ratio ranging from 2.20 to 2.70. Excess B in overstoichiometric TiBx thin films from DCMS results in a hardness up to 37.7 ± 0.8 GPa, attributed to the formation of an amorphous B-rich tissue phase interlacing stoichiometric TiB2 columnar structures. We furthermore show that understoichiometric TiB1.43 thin films synthesized by HiPIMS, where the deficiency of B is found to be accommodated by Ti-rich planar defects, exhibit a superior hardness of 43.9 ± 0.9 GPa. The apparent fracture toughness and thermal conductivity of understoichiometric TiB1.43 HiPIMS films are 4.2 ± 0.1 MPa√m and 2.46 ± 0.22 W/(m·K), respectively, as compared to corresponding values for overstoichiometric TiB2.70 DCMS film samples of 3.1 ± 0.1 MPa√m and 4.52 ± 0.45 W/(m·K). This work increases the fundamental understanding of understoichiometric TiBx thin films and their materials properties, and shows that understoichiometric films have properties matching or going beyond those with excess B. Fulltext published under Creative Commons license CC BY 4.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Funding agencies: Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF)Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research [EM16-0004]; Research Infrastructure Fellow program from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg (KAW) Foundation [RIF 14-0074]; KAW; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area

The atomic structure and local composition of high quality epitaxial substoichiometric titaniumdiboride (TiB1.9) thin film, deposited by unbalanced magnetron sputtering, were studied usinganalytical high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, density functional theoryand image simulations. The unmatched Ti is pinpointed to planar defects on {1-100} prismaticplanes and attributed to the absence of B between Ti planes that locally relaxes the structure.This mechanism allows the line compound to accommodate the off-stoichiometry and remaina line compound between defects. The planar defects are embedded in otherwise stoichiometricTiB2 and are delineated by insertion of dislocations. An accompanied decrease in Ti-Ti bondlengths along and across the faults is observed.Introduction

We describe in detail three braincases of the ankylosaur Bissektipelta archibaldi from the Late Cretaceous (Turonian) of Uzbekistan with the aid of computed tomography, segmentation, and 3D modeling. Bissektipelta archibaldi is confirmed as a valid taxon and attributed to Ankylosaurinae based on the results of a phylogenetic analysis. The topographic relationships between the elements forming the braincase are determined using a newly referred specimen with preserved sutures, which is an exceedingly rare condition for ankylosaurs. The mesethmoid appears to be a separate ossification in the newly referred specimen ZIN PH 281/16. We revise and discuss features of the neurocranial osteology in Ankylosauria and propose new diagnostic characters for a number of its subclades. We present a 3D model of the braincase vasculature of Bissektipelta and comment on vascular patterns of armored dinosaurs. A complex vascular network piercing the skull roof and the wall of the braincase is reported for ankylosaurs for the first time. We imply the presence of a lepidosaur-like dorsal head vein and the venous parietal sinus in the adductor cavity of Bissektipelta. We suggest that the presence of the dorsal head vein in dinosaurs is a plesiomorphic diapsid trait, and extant archosaur groups independently lost the vessel. A study of two complete endocranial casts of Bissektipelta allowed us to compare endocranial anatomy within Ankylosauria and infer an extremely developed sense of smell, a keen sense of hearing at lower frequencies (100–3000 Hz), and the presence of physiological mechanisms for precise temperature control of neurosensory tissues at least in derived ankylosaurids.

Gaming learning is accepted in our society for a long time, practically from its inception and therefore has historical roots. The game is multifaceted, it allows you to successfully learn new skills for both children and adults. The game not only trains, develops, educates, but also socializes. An historical excursion shows that one of her first tasks is training. The substantiation of the use of gaming methods in psychotherapeutic and developmental psycho-correction work is given by many scientists working in the field of psychology. Methods of playing developmental psychocorrection and psychotherapy remain a very important tool that allows not only to study aspects of the child's and adult's inner world, but also, depending on the level of his mental maturity, social skills, cognitive and emotional processes, build interaction in the formation of the principles of a healthy lifestyle in patients of dental profile. Gaming psychotechnics are psychologically conditioned, a natural element of culture, which is a kind of voluntary activity of the individual, enriching the social experience of our patients, allowing one to master the norms and rules for preserving one's dental health through voluntary acceptance of a role, virtual simulation of the playing space and changing the conditions of one's own own being in society. The players perform the following functions: communicative; self-realization of a person; diagnostic; psychotherapeutic; psycho-corrective. Gaming psychotechnics allow you to escape from the paternalistic positions in communication with the patient, to form a request for maintaining your own health in the patient himself. The use of gambling practices and gaming promotes the consolidation and improvement of knowledge, the development of the psychological qualities of the individual, the development of the ability to find the best solutions for large and small patients in the formation of their health.

Life quality is an integral part of an individual’s psychophysiological functioning in society. Its features include one’s individual health, psychological status, level of independence, social intercourse, personal beliefs formed by society and environment, as well as the individual’s capability to function in public settings in accordance with their status and to derive satisfaction from life. Subject. When rendering high-technology dental services, dental practitioners conducting a clinical examination of a patient most commonly do not consider the patient’s psychological readiness for long-term stomatological treatment and neglect their psychological constitution. Relevance. The relevance of this research stems from immaturity of medical and psychological issues of diagnosing a patient’s life quality level and correcting emotional reactions patients tend to have in the process of receiving complex dental care. The necessity of this research arose as well from clinical needs of dental practitioners. Objective. The research objective is to study life quality parameters and a patient’s attitude to dental treatment in the context of complex surgical interference. Methodology. The study employed methods of observation, questionnaire survey, and introspection of a number of the patient’s mental and psychophysiological functions during complex stomatological interference. Results. Our research showed that medical staff directly interacting with patients should have soft skills, anticipate potential risks resulting in patients’ life quality reduction, analyze such risks in a certain way, and have the opportunity and methods to solve arising questions to mutual benefit. Conclusions. For the purpose of forming life quality criteria in a patient, a dental practitioner should use not only specialized medical skills and technologies, but also skills of communicating and overcoming negative views on occurring situations in the process of conducting extensive, complex dental interference.

Nanometer-sized structures, surfaces and sub-surface phenomena have played an enormous role in science and technological applications and represent a driving-force of current interdisciplinary science. Recent developments include the atomic-scale characterization of nanoparticles, molecular reactions at surfaces, magnetism at the atomic scale, photoelectric characterization of nanostructures as well as two-dimensional solids. Research and development of smart nanostructured materials governed by their surface properties is a rapidly growing field. The main challenge is to develop an accurate and robust electronic structure description. The density of surface-related trap states is analyzed by transient UV photoconductivity and temperature-dependent admittance spectroscopy. An advanced application of thin films on shaped substrates is the deposition of catalytic layers on hollow glass microspheres for hydrogen storage controlled exothermal hydrolytic release. Surface properties of thin films including dissolution and corrosion, fouling resistance, and hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity are explored to improve materials response in biological environments and medicine. Trends in surface biofunctionalization routes based on vacuum techniques, together with advances in surface analysis of biomaterials, are discussed. Pioneering advances in the application of X-ray nanodiffraction of thin film cross-sections for characterizing nanostructure and local strain including in-situ experiments during nanoindentation are described. Precise measurements and control of plasma properties are important for fundamental investigations and the development of next generation plasma-based technologies. Critical control parameters are the flux and energy distribution of incident ions at reactive surfaces; it is also crucial to control the dynamics of electrons initiating non-equilibrium chemical reactions. The most promising approach involves the exploitation of complementary advantages in direct measurements combined with specifically designed numerical simulations. Exciting new developments in vacuum science and technology have focused on forward-looking and next generation standards and sensors that take advantage of photonics based measurements. These measurements are inherently fast, frequency based, easily transferrable to sensors based on photonics and hold promise of being disruptive and transformative. Realization of Pascal, the SI unit for pressure, a cold-atom trap based ultra-high and extreme high vacuum (UHV and XHV) standard, dynamic pressure measurements and a photonic based thermometer are three key examples that are presented.

Transition-metal (TM) carbides are an important class of hard, protective coating materials; however, their brittleness often limits potential applications. We use density functional theory to inve ...

Boron-containing materials exhibit a unique combination of ceramic and metallic properties that are sensitively dependent on their given chemical bonding and elemental compositions. However, determining the composition, let alone bonding, with sufficient accuracy is cumbersome with respect to boron, being a light element that bonds in various coordinations. Here, we report on the comprehensive compositional analysis of transition-metal diboride (TMBx) thin films (TM = Ti, Zr, and Hf) by energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), time-of-flight elastic recoil detection analysis (ToF-ERDA), Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), and nuclear reaction analysis (NRA). The films are grown on Si and C substrates by dc magnetron sputtering from stoichiometric TMB2 targets and have hexagonal AlB2-type columnar structures. EDX considerably overestimates B/TM ratios, x, compared to the other techniques, particularly for ZrBx. The B concentrations obtained by XPS strongly depend on the energy of Ar+ ions used for removing surface oxides and contaminants prior to analyses and are more reliable for 0.5 keV Ar+. ToF-ERDA, RBS, and NRA yield consistent compositions in TiBx. They also prove TiBx and ZrBx films to be homogeneous with comparable B/TM ratios for each film. However, ToF-ERDA, employing a 36-MeV 127I8+ beam, exhibits challenges in depth resolution and quantification of HfBx due to plural and multiple scattering and associated energy loss straggling effects. Compared to ToF-ERDA, RBS (for the film grown on C substrates) and NRA provide more reliable B/Hf ratios. Overall, a combination of methods is recommended for accurately pinpointing the compositions of borides that contain heavy transition metals. Funding agencies: The SwedishResearch Council VR (Grant Nos. 2021-00357, 2018-03957, and642-2013-8020); the Knut and Alice Wallenberg (KAW) Foundation for project funding (No. KAW 2015.0043), the Swedish Energy Agency under Project No. 51201-1, Carl Tryggers Stiftelse (Contract Nos. CTS 15:219, CTS 20:150, and CTS 14:431); the Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linköping University (Faculty Grant SFO Mat LiU No. 2009 00971), the Swedish Research Council VRRFI (No. 2017-00646_9) for supporting the Accelerator based ion technology center; the Swedish Foundation for StrategicResearch (Contract No. RIF14-0053)

The aim of this paper is to test for the persistence of the landlord-tenant energy efficiency problem in the residential rental property market in the presence of information on property energy performance. To do this, we compare the efficiency of rental and non-rental properties using a combination of Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM) and parametric regression. We use a sample of 585,578 residential properties in the Republic of Ireland - a region that legally requires rental properties to display energy performance certificates when advertised. The findings suggest that the landlord-tenant problem is present in the Irish rental market but that it is not uniform across locations, indicating the influence of other factors. To explore this further, we exploit the regional variation in rental property prices. We find a larger difference between rental and non-rental properties’ energy efficiency in markets with scarcity in rental property supply. In addition, we are able to take advantage of a unique trait in building design to compare rental and non-rental properties which were identical at the time of their construction. The findings from this sub-group mirror our finding for the sample as a whole.

High-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) of materials systems with metal/gas-atom mass ratios m(Me)/m(g) near, or less than, unity presents a challenge for precise timing of synchronous substrate-bias pulses to select metal-ion irradiation of the film and, thus, reduce stress while increasing layer density during low-temperature growth. The problem stems from high gas-ion fluxes Fg+(t) at the substrate, which overlap with metal-ion fluxes FMe+(t). We use energy-and time-dependent mass spectrometry to analyze FMe+(t) and Fg+(t) for Group IVb transition-metal targets in Ar and show that the time-and energy-integrated metal/gas ion ratio NMe+/NAr+ at the substrate can be controlled over a wide range by adjusting the HiPIMS pulse length tau(ON), while maintaining the peak target current density J(T,peak) constant. The effect is a consequence of severe gas rarefaction which scales with J(T)(t). For Ti-HiPIMS, terminating the discharge at the maximum J(T)(t), corresponding to tau(ON) = 30 mu s, there is an essentially complete loss of Ar+ ion intensity, yielding NTi+/NAr+ similar to 60. With increasing tau(ON),J(T)(t) decreases and NTi+/NAr+ gradually decays, due to Ar refill, to similar to 1 with tau(ON) = 120 s. Time-resolved ion-energy distribution functions confirm that the degree of rarefaction depends on tau(ON): for shorter pulses, tau ONHTC/SUBTAG amp;lt; FORTITLEHTC_RETAIN 60 [rs, the original sputtered-atom Sigmund-Thompson energy distributions are preserved long after the HiPIMS pulse, which is in distinct contrast to longer pulses, tau(ON) amp;gt;= 60 mu s, for which the energy distributions collapse into narrow ther-malized peaks. Thus, optimizing the HiPIMS pulse width minimizes the gas-ion flux to the substrate independent of m(Me)/m(g). Funding Agencies|Swedish Research Council VR [2014-5790]; Aforsk Foundation [16-359]; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University (Faculty Grant SFO Mat LiU) [2009 00971]; Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation Fellowship [KAW 2015.0043]; Carl Tryggers Stiftelse for Vetenskaplig Forskning [CTS 15:219, CTS 14:431]

// Ivan Petrov 1, 2, 3, 4 , Maria Suntsova 1, 5 , Elena Ilnitskaya 2 , Sergey Roumiantsev 6 , Maxim Sorokin 7, 8 , Andrew Garazha 1, 9 , Pavel Spirin 10 , Timofey Lebedev 10 , Nurshat Gaifullin 11 , Sergey Larin 1 , Olga Kovalchuk 12 , Dmitry Konovalov 1, 13 , Vladimir Prassolov 10 , Alexander Roumiantsev 1 and Anton Buzdin 1, 5, 7 1 D. Rogachev Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia 2 First Oncology Research and Advisory Center, Moscow, Russia 3 Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow, Russia 4 V.A. Trapeznikov Institute of Control Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia 5 Group for Genomic Regulation of Cell Signaling Systems, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, Russia 6 Department of Oncology, Hematology and Radiology, N.I.Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia 7 National Research Centre “Kurchatov Institute”, Centre for Convergence of Nano-, Bio-, Information and Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, Moscow, Russia 8 Pathway Pharmaceuticals, Hong Kong, China 9 Centre for Biogerontology and Regenerative Medicine, IC Skolkovo, Moscow, Russia 10 Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Mosow, Russia 11 Moscow State University, Faculty of Fundamental Medicine, Moscow, Russia 12 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada 13 Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Further Professional Education “Russian Medical Academy of Continuous Professional Education” of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia Correspondence to: Anton Buzdin, email: bu3din@mail.ru Keywords: neuroblastoma, MYCN-amplification, pediatric, gene expression, signaling pathways Received: March 29, 2017 Accepted: May 05, 2017 Published: July 28, 2017 ABSTRACT Neuroblastoma is a pediatric cancer arising from sympathetic nervous system. Remarkable heterogeneity in outcomes is one of its widely known features. One of the traits strongly associated with the unfavorable subtype is the amplification of oncogene MYCN . Here, we performed cross-platform biomarker detection by comparing gene expression and pathway activation patterns from the two literature reports and from our experimental dataset, combining profiles for the 761 neuroblastoma patients with known MYCN amplification status. We identified 109 / 25 gene expression / pathway activation biomarkers strongly linked with the MYCN amplification. The marker genes/pathways are involved in the processes of purine nucleotide biosynthesis, ATP-binding, tetrahydrofolate metabolism, building mitochondrial matrix, biosynthesis of amino acids, tRNA aminoacylation and NADP-linked oxidation-reduction processes, as well as in the tyrosine phosphatase activity, p53 signaling, cell cycle progression and the G1/S and G2/M checkpoints. To connect molecular functions of the genes involved in MYCN -amplified phenotype, we built a new molecular pathway using known intracellular protein interaction networks. The activation of this pathway was highly selective in discriminating MYCN -amplified neuroblastomas in all three datasets. Our data also suggest that the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors may provide new opportunities for the treatment of the MYCN -amplified neuroblastoma subtype.

Inter-patient molecular heterogeneity is the major declared driver of an expanding variety of anticancer drugs and personalizing their prescriptions. Here, we compared interpatient molecular heterogeneities of tumors and repertoires of drugs or their molecular targets currently in use in clinical oncology. We estimated molecular heterogeneity using genomic (whole exome sequencing) and transcriptomic (RNA sequencing) data for 4890 tumors taken from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. For thirteen major cancer types, we compared heterogeneities at the levels of mutations and gene expression with the repertoires of targeted therapeutics and their molecular targets accepted by the current guidelines in oncology. Totally, 85 drugs were investigated, collectively covering 82 individual molecular targets. For the first time, we showed that the repertoires of molecular targets of accepted drugs did not correlate with molecular heterogeneities of different cancer types. On the other hand, we found that the clinical recommendations for the available cancer drugs were strongly congruent with the gene expression but not gene mutation patterns. We detected the best match among the drugs usage recommendations and molecular patterns for the kidney, stomach, bladder, ovarian and endometrial cancers. In contrast, brain tumors, prostate and colorectal cancers showed the lowest match. These findings provide a theoretical basis for reconsidering usage of targeted therapeutics and intensifying drug repurposing efforts.

Single-crystal rocksalt-structure (B1) (V,Mo)N alloys are inherently hard and tough ceramics [Kindlund et al., APL Mater. 1, 042104 (2013)]. However, the mechanical properties and thermal stability of (V,Mo)N solid solutions at temperatures (≈1000 K) of relevance for practical applications have not been previously investigated. In this work, we synthesize single-phase B1 polycrystalline V 0.57 Mo 0.43 N 0.95 coatings to investigate the effects induced by temperature on the nanostructural evolution and hardness (H) of the material. Nanoindentation measurements show that the as-deposited film (H = 23±3 GPa) becomes ≈30% harder (up to 31±2 GPa) upon annealing at 730 oC. Experimental characterization and analyses, based on dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), reveal that the age-hardening effect originates from decomposition of the solid solution into coherent strained cubic VN-rich / MoN-rich domains. The experimental results are complemented by the composition/temperature (V,Mo)N phase diagram – constructed upon ab initio molecular dynamics free-energies – which indicates that the separation observed in V 0.57 Mo 0.43 N solid solutions is of spinodal nature. Films annealed at temperatures exceeding 850 oC undergo structural coarsening, with formation of hexagonal Mo x N y and cubic VN phases, which cause a decrease in hardness to ≈22 GPa. Our present findings, corroborated by the fact that V and Mo are known to enhance the resistance to corrosion and the lubricant properties of hard refractory nitrides, indicate that (V,Mo)N coatings may offer outstanding mechanical and tribological performances during operation at elevated temperatures.

Magnetron sputter deposition of TiBx thin films from a TiB2 target typically results in highly overstoichiometric films due to differences in sputtered-atom ejection angles and gas-phase scattering during transport to the substrate. This study investigates the effects of the magnetron magnetic field strength at the substrate position and the Ar sputtering pressure on the resulting film composition and crystalline quality. It is shown that the B/Ti atomic ratio can be reduced from 2.7 to 2.1 by increasing the Ar pressure from 5 mTorr to 20 mTorr, a trend consistent with previous work. Despite the use of a relatively high Ar pressure, a change to a stronger outer magnetic pole leads to, dense TiB2.1 films of high crystal quality, as shown by X-ray diffraction, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and specific resistivity of 32 mu Omega cm. For epitaxial films deposited at 900 degrees C on Al2O3(001), a TiB2[110]//Al2O3[100] orientational relationship were obtained. Funding Agencies|Knut and Alice Wallenberg (KAW) FoundationKnut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation [KAW 2015.0043]; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Link_oping University [2009 00971]; VR-RFI (Vetenskapsradet) [821-2012-5144]; Swedish Foundation for Strategic ResearchSwedish Foundation for Strategic Research [SSF, RIF14-0053]

We recently showed that Zr1−xTaxBy thin films have columnar nanostructure in which column boundaries are B-rich for x < 0.2, while Ta-rich for x ≥ 0.2. Layers with x ≥ 0.2 exhibit higher hardness and, simultaneously, enhanced toughness. Here, we determine the atomic-scale nanostructure of sputter-deposited columnar Zr0.7Ta0.3B1.5 thin films. The columns, 95 ± 17 Å, are core/shell nanostructures in which 80 ± 15-Å cores are crystalline hexagonal-AlB2-structure Zr-rich stoichiometric Zr1−xTaxB2. The shell structure is a narrow dense, disordered region that is Ta-rich and highly B-deficient. The cores are formed under intense ion mixing via preferential Ta segregation, due to the lower formation enthalpy of TaB2 than ZrB2, in response to the chemical driving force to form a stoichiometric compound. The films with unique combination of nanosized crystalline cores and dense metallic-glass-like shells provide excellent mechanical properties. Funding agencies: Knut and Alice Wallenberg (KAW) FoundationKnut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation [KAW 2015.0043]; electron microscopy laboratory in Linkoping; Swedish Research Council VRSwedish Research Council [2014-5790, 2018-03957, 2019-05403, 642-2013-8020]; VINNOVA Gran

Refractory transition-metal diborides (TMB2) are candidates for extreme environments due to melting points above 3000 degrees C, excellent hardness, good chemical stability, and thermal and electrical conductivity. However, they typically suffer from rapid high-temperature oxidation. Here, we study the effect of Al addition on the oxidation properties of sputter-deposited TiB2-rich Ti1-xAlxBy thin films and demonstrate that alloying the films with Al significantly increases the oxidation resistance with a slight decrease in hardness. TiB2.4 layers are deposited by dc magnetron sputtering (DCMS) from a TiB2 target, while Ti1-xAlxBy alloy films are grown by hybrid high-power impulse and dc magnetron co-sputtering (Al-HiPIMS/TiB2-DCMS). All as-deposited films exhibit columnar structure. The column boundaries of TiB2.4 are B-rich, while Ti0.68Al0.32B1.35 alloys have Ti-rich columns surrounded by a Ti(1-x)Al(x)By tissue phase which is predominantly Al rich. Air-annealing TiB2.4 at temperatures above 500 degrees C leads to the formation of oxide scales that do not contain B and mostly consist of a rutile-TiO2 (s) phase. The resulting oxidation products are highly porous due to the evaporation of B2O3 (g) phase as well as the coarsening of TiO2 crystallites. This poor oxidation resistance is significantly improved by alloying with Al. While air-annealing at 800 degrees C for 0.5 h results in the formation of an similar to 1900-nm oxide scale on TiB2.4, the thickness of the scale formed on the Ti0.68Al0.32B1.35 alloys is similar to 470 nm. The enhanced oxidation resistance is attributed to the formation of a dense, protective Al-containing oxide scale that considerably decreases the oxygen diffusion rate by suppressing the oxide-crystallites coarsening. (C) 2020 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Funding Agencies|Knut and Alice Wallenberg (KAW) foundationKnut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation [KAW 2015.0043]; Swedish Research Council VR Grant [2014-5790, 2018-03957, 642-2013-8020]; VINNOVAVinnova [2018-04290]; Aforsk foundation [16-359]; Carl Tryggers Stiftelse [CTS 15:219, CTS 17:166, CTS 14:431]; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University (Faculty Grant SFO Mat LiU) [2009 00971]; Swedish research council VR-RFISwedish Research Council [2017-00646_9]; Swedish Foundation for Strategic ResearchSwedish Foundation for Strategic Research [RIF14-0053, RIF14-0074]

The article was submitted on 25.12.2019. This article considers the new period of relations between the state and the Church in the USSR which began between 1943 and 1948. It was characterised by the restoration of patriarchate and a general warming between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Stalinist state. However, a different process began on the territory occupied by Nazi troops at the beginning of the war. Arrests of the clergy began to take place, with some priests being removed from large parishes and others transferred to neighbouring dioceses. Many bishops, especially those from among the former Renovationists, tried to protect themselves by removing priests associated with the Nazis from their dioceses. At the same time, there was a process of appointing clergymen who had shown their commitment to the Soviet state and helped the pro-Soviet underground during the war, especially partisans, to vacant parishes. Many of the priests were not ready for such serious appointments and asked to be excused from the administration of parishes. The clergymen who had participated in anti-Soviet propaganda during the war and who had been members of diocesan administrations organised under the German occupation were replaced by young priests who had previously served in the Red Army and who were absolutely loyal to the Soviet regime. They were incredibly ambitious and able to quickly gain the trust of local believers. Some of latter were friendly to priests who had served under the Germans and even tried to help them and prevent their criticism. Others, on the contrary, were sending “signals” to the diocesan authorities about the suspicious actions of the “occupation priests”. Believers also behaved differently. Many opposed the appointment of new clergymen, did not trust them, and considered them to be supporters of the Soviet regime. Such believers appreciated priests who did not incessantly collect money for patriotic needs during the war, did not preach about protecting collective farm property, or publicly denounce unregistered church groups in the region. Other believers, however, became champions of church repressions and started to organise internal investigations into the economic activities of “occupation priests”. This research is relevant as currently there are no works tracing the fate of the Orthodox clergy who found themselves in the temporarily occupied territory of the Russian SFSR during World War II and stayed in the Soviet Union afterwards. Works published mostly focus on the clergy evacuated to the West or the new generation of Orthodox pastors who became priests after the war. This article is based on documents of Russian regional archives, mainly in the so-called Central Black Earth region (Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh, Orel), as well as the archives of north-western and southern Russia and Belarus. Рассматривается новый период церковно-государственных отношений в Советском Союзе, начавшийся в 1943–1948 гг. Его характерными чертами стали восстановление патриаршества и общее потепление отношений Русской православной церкви и сталинского государства. На территории, оккупированной немецкими войсками в годы войны, начался обратный процесс: стали проходить аресты священнослужителей, священников отстраняли от управления большими приходами или перемещали в соседние епархии. Многие епископы, особенно из среды бывших обновленцев, испугавшись новых санкций, удалили из своих епархий связанных с нацистами священников. Параллельно с этим осуществлялись назначения на пустующие приходы и в благочиния тех духовных лиц, которые в условиях войны показали наибольшую приверженность советскому строю, а также помогали просоветскому подполью, в первую очередь партизанам. Многие из этих священников не были готовы к столь серьезным переменам и просили священноначалие отстранить себя от управления благочиниями. Взамен тех духовных лиц, которые участвовали в антисоветской пропаганде, а также входили в епархиальные управления, организованные в условиях немецкой оккупации, на приходы стали назначаться молодые священники, наиболее лояльные к советской власти. Они были невероятно амбициозны и смогли получить доверие у местных верующих. Часть из них была лояльна к священникам, которые служили при немцах, и всеми силами препятствовала критике этих пастырей церковным активом. Другие же, наоборот, участвовали в просоветской проповеднической деятельности и параллельно с этим отправляли епархиальному начальству сигналы о подозрительных действиях священников-«оккупантов». Неоднозначно вели себя и рядовые верующие. Некоторые из них противостояли назначению на приходы лояльных советскому строю духовных лиц, не доверяли им и считали их сторонниками советской власти. Данная группа верующих ценила священников, которые не собирали беспрестанно деньги на патриотические нужды, не говорили с амвона о защите колхозной собственности и не заявляли о наличии в регионе незарегистрированных церковных групп. Другие же, наоборот, стали проводниками внутрицерковных репрессий и организовывали внутренние расследования хозяйственной и экономической деятельности «собратьев в рясе». Актуальность темы обусловлена отсутствием в современной научной литературе работ, в которых прослеживается судьба православного духовенства, находившегося в годы Второй мировой войны на временно оккупированной территории РСФСР и оставшегося впоследствии на территории Советского Союза. Опубликованные исследования в наибольшей степени касаются духовенства, эвакуировавшегося на Запад, или новой генерации православных пастырей, ставших священниками в послевоенное время. Исследование основано на данных региональных российских архивов и епархиальных архивов Центрального Черноземья: Курска, Белгорода, Воронежа, Орла, Северо-Запада и Юга России, а также Белоруссии. Статья подготовлена при поддержке гранта РНФ № 18–78–00048 «Служение русского православного пастырства на временно оккупированных районах РСФСР в 1941–1944 гг.».

This paper presents the results of an ex post evaluation of the impacts of a vehicle tax reform in Ireland, by carrying out a full social cost benefit analysis of a vehicle tax reform that began in Ireland in 2008 and shows that whilst successful in improving the fuel economy of new passenger cars, it may also have caused unintended effects, such as an increased proliferation of diesel vehicles in the passenger car fleet. These outcomes have mitigated the overall benefits. In addition to quantifying the scale of the various effects and outcomes, this paper clearly demonstrates the importance of broad scope policy design.

A study of an LLC resonant DC/DC converter with capacitive output filter is accomplished. On the basis of an existing unified analysis based on the “first harmonic approximation” method, expressions for the determination of currents through the power devices and the resonant circuit components are obtained. The main load characteristics of the converter at ZVS mode are built.

The paper presents design consideration for the LLC resonant DC/DC converter with a capacitive output filter. Different conditions for receiving ZVS commutation are discussed, as well as the possibility of using ZVS drivers, allowing operation with soft switching within wide load range. The design procedure was verified through simulation and experimental results.

A unified analysis of the LLC resonant DC/DC converter with a capacitive output filter is proposed. For this purpose, the “first harmonic approximation” method is applied. Expressions for determining the main quantities of the converter are obtained. Dependencies for receiving the main converter quantities are determined. The switching areas of the transistors at zero voltage and zero current commutation are obtained.

CrB x thin films with 1.90 < x < 2.08 have been deposited by direct-current magnetron sputtering (DCMS) from a stoichiometric CrB 2 target at 5 and 20 mTorr (0.67 and 2.67 Pa) Ar pressure onto sapphire (0 0 01) substrates. All films, irrespective of deposition conditions, exhibit a (0 0 01) texture. Attesting to the achievement of close-to-stoichiometric composition, epitaxial film growth is observed at 900 ?C, while film growth at 500 ?C yields (0001) fiber texture. Film composition does not depend on substrate temperature but exhibits slightly reduced B content with increasing pressure for samples deposited at 900 ?C. Excess B in the overstoichiometric epitaxial CrB 2.08 films segregates to form B-rich inclusions. Understoichiometry in CrB 1.90 films is accommodated by Cr-rich stacking faults on { 1 1? 00 } prismatic planes. ? 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Acta Materialia Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ) Funding Agencies|Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF)Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research [EM16-0004, RIF 14-0074]; Knut and Alice Wallenberg (KAW) FoundationKnut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation [KAW 2015.0043]; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University [200900971]; KAW

This paper evaluates the influence of crude oil (vacuum residue) properties, the processing of fluid catalytic cracking slurry oil, and recycle of hydrocracked vacuum residue diluted with fluid catalytic cracking heavy cycle oil, and the operating conditions of the H-Oil vacuum residue hydrocracking on the quality of the H-Oil liquid products. 36 cases of operation of a commercial H-Oil® ebullated bed hydrocracker were studied at different feed composition, and different operating conditions. Intercriteria analysis was employed to define the statistically meaningful relations between 135 parameters including operating conditions, feed and products characteristics. Correlations and regression equations which related the H-Oil® mixed feed quality and the operating conditions (reaction temperature, and reaction time (throughput)) to the liquid H-Oil® products quality were developed. The developed equations can be used to find the optimal performance of the whole refinery considering that the H-Oil liquid products are part of the feed for the units: fluid catalytic cracking, hydrotreating, road pavement bitumen, and blending.