Potential mapping of ZnO by off-axis electron holography

Off-axis electron holography has been used to map the electric potential derived from the spontaneous polarity in a ZnO film. A wedge-shaped ZnO film, in which the holograms and the object wave were reconstructed, was used. To interpret the phase image correctly, the reconstructed amplitude image was used to obtain information on the thickness, which was then applied to eliminate the thickness effect on the phase shift. The electric potential distribution was characterized and the polarity of the ZnO film determined.     

Dynamic properties of edge dislocations decorated by interstitial loops in α-iron and copper

Clusters of self-interstitial atoms (SIAs) in the form of parallel crowdions are created directly in high-energy displacement cascades produced in metals by neutron irradiation. They are equivalent to small perfect dislocation loops and, in isolation in pure metals, undergo fast thermally-activated glide in the direction of their Burgers vector. Their strain field and ability to glide allows long-range interaction with other extended defects. Indeed, dislocations decorated by dislocation loops are commonly observed after neutron irradiation. Dislocations gliding under applied stress also encounter these mobile defects. These effects influence mechanical properties and require further investigation. This paper presents results from an atomic-scale study of copper and α-iron at either 0?K or 300?K. Loop drag and breakaway effects are investigated for an edge dislocation under applied stress interacting with a row of SIA loops below its glide plane. The maximum speed at which a loop is dragged is lower in copper than iron, and the applied stress at which this occurs is also lower. These differences in the dynamics of cluster-dislocation interaction are determined by the atomic structure of the defects and cannot be investigated by continuum treatment.     

Dislocation arrangements and crystallographic characterization of deformation band in fatigued copper single crystal

This letter reveals the dislocation arrangements and crystallographic characterization of deformation bands (denoted DBII) in a copper single crystal fatigued at a high strain amplitude gamma_pl = 8 x 10^-3. The results show that the surface deformation morphology of the crystal displays the following features. (1) Primary slip bands (SBs) were formed after 2 x 10⁴ cycles and these carried a relatively homogeneous and small plastic strain. (2) Secondary slip bands did not operate during cyclic deformation. (3) Deformation bands (DBs) with a width of 50 mum were homogeneously distributed over the whole surface of the crystal and were perpendicular to the SBs. (4) Dislocation patterns within the SBs often consisted of irregular structures, which did not show a persistent feature. The results indicate that these SBs are not typical persistent slip bands (PSBs). (5) Within the DBII, the microstructure can be classified into two types. One type consists of regular 100% ladder-like parallel PSBs. The other type is full of dislocation walls parallel to DB direction, which have not been reported previously. By crystallographic analysis of the DBII, it is shown that the habit plane of the DBII should correspond to the (101) plane. Based on the observations above, it is suggested that the formation of DBII should be attributed to the local regularization of dislocation walls within primary slip bands.     

Stress relaxation in cobalt between 15 and 300 K

Abstract

The slope of the logarithmic stress–relaxation curve for a well-annealed cobalt polycrystal of 99·999% purity has been measured as a function of the initial stress level from which relaxation at constant strain was allowed to start at a given temperature between 15 and 300 K. A pronounced undulation was observed in the plot of the relation between the inverse of the stress sensitivity of the relaxation rate and temperature, with a maximum and a minimum at about 75 and 50 K, respectively. The ‘classically unexpected’ behaviour below about 80 K seems to arise from the progressive inhibition of dynamic recovery process as T→0 K, which necessitates the use of stresses higher than that applied in the basic equations describing the mode of deformation.     

Study on the deformation of nanocrystalline cobalt

A study was carried out on the deformation of nanocrystalline cobalt. For cold-rolled nanocrystalline cobalt, the X-ray diffraction peaks narrowed instead of broadened on deformation. The results of transmission electron microscopy showed that grain size (17.8?nm on average) was not increased. The results can be explained in terms of the production and activity of vacancies and vacancy clusters.     

Undifferentiated facial electromyography responses to dynamic,audio‐visual emotion displays in individuals with autism spectrum disorders

We examined facial electromyography (fEMG) activity to dynamic, audio‐visual emotional displays in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and typically developing (TD) individuals. Participants viewed clips of happy, angry, and fearful displays that contained both facial expression and affective prosody while surface electrodes measured corrugator supercilli and zygomaticus major facial muscle activity. Across measures of average and peak activity, the TD group demonstrated emotion‐selective fEMG responding, with greater relative activation of the zygomatic to happy stimuli and greater relative activation of the corrugator to fearful stimuli. In contrast, the ASD group largely showed no significant differences between zygomatic and corrugator activity across these emotions. There were no group differences in the magnitude and timing of fEMG response in the muscle congruent to the stimuli. This evidence that fEMG responses in ASD are undifferentiated with respect to the valence of the stimulus is discussed in light of potential underlying neurobiological mechanisms.     

Neonatal Intensive-Care Unit Graduates Show Persistent Difficulties in an Intradimensional Shift Card Sort

Neonatal intensive-care unit (NICU) graduates, a group at risk for attention problems and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, performed an intradimensional shift card sort at 34, 42, 51, and 60 months to assess executive function and to examine effects of individual risk factors. In the “silly” game, children sorted cards (airplanes and dogs) so they were not the same as targets. In the “same” game, they did the opposite. Performance on the “silly” game was poor, especially when it was presented first. Success in following “silly” game rules improved with age and was significantly linked to maternal education and birth weight for gestational age, a measure of intrauterine stress. Degree of central nervous system injury differentiated children who completed the task from children who did not, and it also affected the need to repeat instructions in the “same” game. These results confirm an increased likelihood of impairments in executive function during preschool years in NICU graduates.