Invited commentary on the interview with Jan Stensson

Abstract

The potential of psychoanalysis as social criticism is explored in the context of the major social divides of gender, sexual orientation, race, social class, and ethnicity. It is argued that these divides play central roles in constructing individual psyches, and that their influence is inseparable from other social/ familial forces. Further, analyst and patient alike, inevitably enact the imperatives of class, race, gender, and sexuality in the analytic dyad. It is crucial that psychoanalytic theory be extended to account for the formative power of these cultural categories both in the construction of individual identity, and on the course of analytic work. Further, individual psychoanalysts must be aware of cultural countertransference in the analytic engagement. Finally, as a profession we have an obligation publicly to oppose the destructive imperatives of our economic, political, and social systems in the interest of individual and community psychic well-being.     

Bond modulus and stability of covalent solids

The chemical stabilities of molecules are determined by their LUMO–HOMO energy gaps. For solids, the analogues of these are their energy band gaps. However, solids are aggregates of molecules, so an energy alone cannot characterize their stabilities. An intensive parameter is needed. Such a parameter is the gap energy per molecular volume. The author has coined the name ‘bond modulus’ for this parameter because it tends to be proportional to elastic moduli and it has the same dimensions. It applies primarily to covalent solids with localized bonding. It is proportional to chemical hardnesses and bulk moduli, as well as octahedral shear moduli and inverse polarizabilities.     

Changes in electrical resistivity during isothermal annealing of thermally disordered Cu-15at.%Pd alloys

The changes in the electrical resistivity of thermally disordered Cu-15at.%Pd alloys during isothermal annealing at various temperatures has been investigated. The results obtained are compared with the changes in electrical resistivity calculated under the assumption that ordering proceeds only during isothermal annealing. The electrical resistivity in this alloy first increases and then decreases during isothermal annealing, and the magnitude of the increase decreases as the annealing temperature is lowered. A comparison between the results of measurement and calculation shows that the increase in electrical resistivity is considerably larger than that deduced at the early stage of ordering and occurs after the start of the ordering. An electron micrograph of a sample annealed at 643K for 42000s (11.7h) revealed that not only swirl-like antiphase domains but also fine domains with narrow stripes are present. Furthermore, it is shown that the electron diffraction pattern from the fine domains includes somewhat diffuse extra spots, which have never been observed in the L1 2 -type ordered structure, and that the fine domains disappear after a long anneal. These results indicate that the formation and disappearance of any quasistable phase influence the large increase and subsequent decrease in electrical resistivity during isothermal annealing.     

Surface energy of free clusters of bubbles: An estimation

We propose an approximate equation for the surface energy of two-dimensional free bubble clusters which we compare with exact calculations of the surface energy of symmetrical clusters consisting of a central bubble surrounded by one or two shells of bubbles of two different areas. The accuracy of the equation is good for relatively narrow distributions of the areas and of the number of sides of the bubbles but underestimates the energy for large widths of those distributions. We propose a similar approximate equation for the surface energy of three-dimensional clusters.     

Severe-to-mild wear transition at higher temperatures in Al-17Si-5Cu alloy after short-duration isothermal heat treatment

ABSTRACT

The wear behaviour of hypereutectic Al–Si alloys, which are suitable for use in automobile engines as a replacement for cast iron, has not been explored at higher temperatures. In the present study, the wear behaviour of Al-17Si-5Cu alloy (AR alloy) has been studied in as-received condition as well as after applying a short-duration isothermal heat treatment developed by the present research team. It was found that AR alloy exhibits severe wear, whereas heat-treated alloy (HT alloy) shows mild wear at higher temperatures (up to 300°C) at all applied loads. This severe-to-mild wear transition is addressed here.     

The state of order in Fe–Al studied by precession electron diffraction

Precession electron diffraction (PED) has been carried out on a fully ordered Fe–40at.%Al solid solution in order to explore its suitability for determining the state of order. The integrated intensity ratio of a superlattice reflection with respect to a fundamental reflection was measured as a function of the sample thickness and the results are well fitted by dynamical simulations. It is proposed that, in addition to conventional X-ray diffraction, PED may provide access to the state of order at microscopic and nanoscopic scales.     

Sliding on carbon nanotube arrays

Adhesion, friction and wear of Single-Walled Nanotube (SWNT) and multi-walled nanotube arrays have been investigated. SWNT arrays exhibit lower adhesion and friction values on account of the lower van der Waals’ forces resulting from lower packing density and higher flexibility. Wear tests show that both arrays do not wear. Tip wear and friction force in the SWNT array are lower due to lower adhesion and higher flexibility of the SWNTs, which lead to less resistance to the motion of the tip.     

Formation of plate-shaped Guinier–Preston zones during natural aging of an Al–Zn–Mg–Cu–Zr Alloy

Plate-shaped Guinier–Preston (G–P) zone formation in an Al–Zn–Mg–Cu–Zr alloy has been studied using transmission electron microscopy. The results provide, for the first time, direct evidence showing nucleation and growth of plate-shaped coherent G–P zones during natural aging.     

Semiquantitative analysis of surface relief due to martensite formation in Fe-Mn-Si-based shape memory alloys by atomic force microscopy

Semiquantitative analysis of the surface relief caused by martensite formation in Fe-Mn-Si-based shape memory alloys has been performed by atomic force microscopy. It is found, for the thermally induced martensite transformation, that all three possible variants of martensite with the same {111} habit plane appear while, for the stress-induced martensite transformation, only one martensite variant is likely to form. For the former case, martensite plates with various variants are formed on the same habit plane in such a way that the shape strains of those plates are self-accommodated macroscopically, but each martensite plate itself is a single variant and not a multivariant plate as has been reported in the literature. For the latter case, it is especially emphasized that all the martensite plates formed in the well 'trained' sample have the same variant, which is one of the most important conditions for exhibiting a good shape memory effect.