Development and growth of corrosion features on protected silver mirrors during accelerated environmental exposure.

Various layer schemes have been developed to protect thin film silver mirrors from tarnish and corrosion. However, the mechanisms by which these additional layers improve mirror durability are not fully understood. Accelerated environmental exposure testing of protected silver mirrors was used to investigate the effects of layer composition on the mechanisms of corrosion feature development and growth.

In situ electron backscattered diffraction of individual GaAs nanowires.

We suggest and demonstrate that electron backscattered diffraction, a scanning electron microscope-based technique, can be used for non-destructive structural and morphological characterization of statistically significant number of nanowires in situ on their growth substrate. We obtain morphological, crystal phase, and crystal orientation information of individual GaAs nanowires in situ on the growth substrate GaAs(111) B. Our results, verified using transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction analyses of the same set of wires, indicate that most wires possess a wurtzite structure with a high density of thin structural defects aligned normal to the wire growth axis, while others grow defect-free with a zincblende structure.

Analyses of eutectoid phase transformations in Nb-silicide in situ composites.

Nb-silicide in situ composites have great potential for high-temperature turbine applications. Nb-silicide composites consist of a ductile Nb-based solid solution together with high-strength silicides, such as Nb5Si3 and Nb3Si. With the appropriate addition of alloying elements, such as Ti, Hf, Cr, and Al, it is possible to achieve a promising balance of room-temperature fracture toughness, high-temperature creep performance, and oxidation resistance.

Inappropriate prescribing for elderly outpatients.

The frequency of potentially inappropriate prescribing for elderly outpatients and factors predicting inappropriate prescribing for these patients were studied. A panel of experts in geriatric medicine and geriatric pharmacology developed a list of 20 drugs generally considered to be inappropriate for elderly patients. Data on outpatient visits by patients aged 65 years or older were extracted from the 1994 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and analyzed with respect to the 20 potentially inappropriate medications.