Antiferromagnetic (AFM) NiO thin films are grown epitaxially on vicinal Ag(118) substrate and investigated by x-ray linear dichroism (XLD). We find that the NiO AFM spin exhibits an in-plane spin reorientation transition from parallel to perpendicular to the step edges with increasing the NiO film thickness. In addition to the conventional L{sub 2} adsorption edge, x-ray linear dichroism (XLD) effect at the Ni L{sub 3} adsorption edge is also measured and analyzed. The result identifies a small energy shift of the L{sub 3} peak. Temperature-dependent measurement confirms that the observed XLD effect in this system at the normal incidence of the x-rays originates entirely from the NiO magnetic ordering.

The spatial distribution of copper ions and atoms in high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) discharges was determined by (i) measuring the ion current to electrostatic probes and (ii) measuring the film thickness by profilometry. A set of electrostatic and collection probes were placed at different angular positions and distances from the target surface. The angular distribution of the deposition rate and the average charge state of the copper species (including ions and neutrals) were deduced.The discharge showed a distinct transition to a high current mode dominated by copper self-sputtering when the applied voltage exceeded the threshold of 535 V. For a lower voltage, the deposition rate was very low and the average charge state was found to be less than 0.4. For higher voltage (and average power), the absolute deposition rates were much higher, but they were smaller than the corresponding direct current (DC) rates if normalized to the same average power. At the high voltage level, the spatial distribution of the average charge state showed some similarities with the distribution of the magnetic field, suggesting that the generation and motion of copper ions is affected by magnetized electrons. At higher voltage, the average charge state increases with the …

Semi-weekly newspaper from Bastrop, Texas that includes local, state and national news along with advertising.

The United States and Canada conduct the world's largest bilateral trade relationship, with total merchandise trade (exports and imports) exceeding $561.5 billion in 2007. This report examines the various aspects of this trade partnership and presents several policy options for Congress.

Daily newspaper from Baytown, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Bone is more difficult to break than to split. Although this is well known, and many studies exist on the behavior of long cracks in bone, there is a need for data on the orientation-dependent crack-growth resistance behavior of human cortical bone which accurately assesses its toughness at appropriate size-scales. Here we use in-situ mechanical testing in the scanning electron microscope and x-ray computed tomography to examine how physiologically-pertinent short (<600 mu m) cracks propagate in both the transverse and longitudinal orientations in cortical bone, using both crack-deflection/twist mechanics and nonlinear-elastic fracture mechanics to determine crack-resistance curves. We find that after only 500 mu m of cracking, the driving force for crack propagation was more than five times higher in the transverse (breaking) direction than in the longitudinal (splitting) direction due to major crack deflections/twists principally at cement sheathes. Indeed, our results show that the true transverse toughness of cortical bone is far higher than previously reported. However, the toughness in the longitudinal orientation, where cracks tend to follow the cement lines, is quite low at these small crack sizes; it is only when cracks become several millimeters in length that bridging mechanisms can develop leading to the (larger-crack) toughnesses …

Daily newspaper from Perry, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.