TiCN coatings with different C content were deposited using a large area filtered arc deposition (LAFAD) technique from Ti targets in a mixture of N2 and CH4 gases. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nano-indentation, and pin-on-disc tribometer were used to characterize the cross-sectional microstructure, hardness, modulus, wear rate, and friction coefficient of the TiCN coatings. The increase in the CH4 fraction in the gases leads to a continuous increase in the deposition rate of the TiCN coatings as well as an increase in the defect density in the coatings. Nano-indentation results indicate that with an increase of the C content in the coatings, the hardness and elastic modulus increase to a maximum at a C content of 2.8at.%, then decreases rapidly, which results from the increase in the defect density in the coatings. Tribological test results show that when tested against Al2O3 balls, there is no significant change in the friction coefficient (0.78–0.88) of the TiCN coatings with a C content of below 4.6at.%, but the friction coefficient decreases rapidly to 0.21 with a further increase in the C content to 9.3at.%. In addition, with increasing C content in the coatings from 0 to 9.3at.%, the wear rate decreases remarkably from 2.5×10−6mm3/Nm to 5.3×10−7mm3/Nm. The low friction coefficient and the formation of a transfer layer correspond to the low wear rate for the TiCN coatings with high C content.

CrN coatings were deposited using a large area filtered cathodic arc deposition (LAFAD) technique from Cr targets under the atmosphere of pure N2 at a pressure of 0.02Pa and temperature of 350°C. The mechanical and tribological properties of the CrN coatings were characterized using nanoindentation and pin-on-disk tribometer. The mechanical and tribological properties of the TiN coatings deposited by the same technique were also included as a reference. It was found that CrN coatings possess lower hardness and elastic modulus than that of the TiN coatings. As compared with TiN coatings, when tested against Al2O3 balls, CrN coatings exhibit much lower friction coefficient (0.39) and wear rate (1.3×10−7mm3/Nm), but the Al2O3 balls have much higher wear rate when tested against CrN coatings. When 302 stainless steel balls were used, both CrN and TiN coatings have similar friction coefficient, and the balls were seriously worn with a comparable wear rate when tested against the two coatings. No wear of CrN and TiN coatings could be seen. However, wear debris deposited on the coating surface with a similar deposition rate. The wear mechanisms of the CrN coatings are abrasion and adhesion wear, respectively, when tested against Al2O3 and 302 stainless steel balls.

TiCN coatings were deposited using a large area filtered arc deposition (LAFAD) technique from Ti targets in a mixture of N-2 and CH4 gases. CH4 fraction was varied from 0 to 50% to change the C content in the coatings. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and substrate bending method were used to characterize the dependence of the CH4 fraction on the surface morphology, composition, bonding structure, crystalline structure, and internal stress in the deposited coatings. It was found that TiCN coatings consist of nano-sized clusters and the cluster size increases with CH4 fraction. XPS results show that with increasing CH4 fraction, the N content in the coatings decrease continuously, the C content increases to 9.3 at.% at a CH4 fraction of 30% followed by a slight decrease with the additional increase in the CH4 fraction. With an increase of the C content in the coatings, there is a decrease in the Ti-N bonding content and an increase in the Ti-C and C-N bonding contents in the coatings. XRD results indicate that with increasing CH4 fraction, the growth orientation of the TiCN coatings changes from (111) to (220) preferred orientation. The TiN (220) peak shifts to a lower diffraction angle, and the grain size decreases continuously. The internal stresses in all TiCN coatings are compressive and increase linearly with increasing C content in the coatings. The decrease in the grain size and the increase in the C content correspond to the continuous increase in the internal stress in the coatings. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

TiSiN coatings with a thickness of 2.5 μm were deposited using a Large Area Filtered Arc Deposition (LAFAD) technique with TiSi targets having different Si content. The influence of the Si content in the coatings on the mechanical properties and tribological behaviors of the TiSiN coatings were systematically studied using nanoindentation and a pin-on-disk tribometer. Nanoindentation results show that the hardness and Young's modulus of the TiSiN coatings increase with increasing Si content in the coatings. Wear test results indicate that the wear rate and friction coefficient of the 440a stainless steel coupons were significantly reduced by deposition of the TiSiN coatings, and the tribological behaviors of the TiSiN coatings are strongly dependent on the Si content in the coatings and the testing ball material. TiSiN coatings exhibit similar friction coefficient when tested against Al2O3 and 302 stainless steel balls, but increasing Si content in the coatings causes an increase in the friction coefficient of the TiSiN coatings. With the increase in the Si content in the coatings, the wear rate of the TiSiN coatings decreases when tested against Al2O3 balls, but increases significantly when tested against 302 stainless steel balls. The capability of forming a transfer layer on the ball surface contributes to the change in the friction coefficient and wear rate with Si content in the coating and ball materials.

Nanocrystalline TiCN coatings were deposited from Ti targets under the atmosphere of mixed N2 and CH4 gases using a novel large area filtered arc deposition technique at a temperature of 350 °C. The microstructure, crystalline structure, bonding structure, coating composition, hardness, modulus, plasticity, and adhesion of the deposited TiCN coatings were systematically characterized using optical microscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, nanoindentation, Rockwell adhesion test, and scratch adhesion test, respectively. By adding 5% CH4 gas into the chamber, only 2.31 at. % of C was incorporated into the TiN coating to form Ti–C bonds. However, XRD results show a drastic change in the preferred orientation of the TiN grains from strong (111) to strong (220) orientation, as well as a decrease in grain size. Nanoindentation tests indicate a significant increase in hardness and elastic modulus. The plasticity and toughness of the TiCN coatings are comparable to that of the TiN coatings. Adhesion tests show that the TiCN coatings possess excellent adhesion on both 316 and 440a stainless steel substrates.

Objectives. We assessed socio-demographic and military factors associated with smoking among males in the UK Armed Forces; made comparisons with the general population; and, tested the hypothesis that smoking has declined in the Armed Forces.Methods. Using data from two cross-sectional studies (conducted in 1998 and 2004), we examined the patterns of smoking among regular male UK Service personnel aged 20-49 years and made comparisons with general population data from England. Scotland and Wales.Results. In 2004, the prevalence of smoking among military males aged 20-49 years was 30% (n = 2276), compared to 33% within the general population. Among current smokers, the mean number of cigarettes smoked per day was 15 for the military and 14 for the general population. The prevalence of smoking has decreased in lower ranks between 1998 and 2004 by 5.1% in 20-24 year olds to 6.3% in 35-49 year olds. These decreases are similar to those seen within those in the routine, manual or intermediate socioeconomic group.Conclusions. Smoking among males in the UK military is associated with similar factors to those in the general population. As these factors are clustered in younger personnel, policies to decrease smoking should be targeted at younger recruits. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Nanocomposite TiSiN coatings were successfully synthesized at a temperature and N2 partial pressure of 350 °C and 0.02 Pa, respectively, from TiSi alloy targets with Si content of 20 at. % by using a large area filtered arc deposition technique. Scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to investigate the surface morphology, crystalline structure, grain size, composition, and bonding structure of the deposited coatings. Nanoindentation was used to characterize the mechanical properties of the deposited coatings. It was found that adding Si into TiN coatings reduces the grain size significantly from 16.9 to 5.8 nm, changes the orientation from (111) to (220) preferred orientation, and increases the hardness and Young’s modulus from 33 and 376 GPa to 51 and 449 GPa, respectively. XPS and XRD results show that the Si/Ti atomic ratio in the coatings is 0.17 and the deposited TiSiN coatings consist of nanosized TiN grains encapsulated by amorphous Si3N4 layer, corresponding to the superhigh hardness of the TiSiN coatings. The high plasma density, ion energy, and ion reactivity of the filtered cathodic arc plasma contribute to the formation of the nanocomposite TiSiN coatings at low temperature and low N2 partial pressure.

TiSiN coatings were deposited by using a large area filtered arc deposition technique from TiSi targets with different Si content. The influence of the Si content in the targets on the surface morphology, composition, bonding structure, crystalline structure and internal stress of the TiSiN coatings were systematically studied by using scanning electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction and the substrate curvature method, respectively. It was found that by increasing Si content in the TiSi targets to 20 at%, the Si content in the coatings increases linearly to 7.7 at%. Both XRD and XPS results indicate that all the TiSiN coatings consist of a nanosized TiN phase and an amorphous Si3N4 phase except for the coatings with Si content of above 4.5 at%, in which 5% of amorphous TiSi2 phase exists. With increasing Si content in the coating, the coatings change orientation from the (1 1 1) to the (2 2 0) preferred orientation. The TiN grain size decreases linearly to 5.4 nm with an increase in Si content up to 4.5 at%, and then increases slightly with a higher Si content in the coatings. The substrate curvature method shows that the increase in the Si content from 0 to 4.5 at% results in a rapid increase in the internal stress in the coating from 2.2 to 3.9 GPa, but a further increase in the Si content leads to a slight decrease in the internal stress in the coating. The decrease in the grain size with increasing Si content contributes to the increase in the internal stress in the TiSiN coatings.

A series of TiN/Ti multilayer coatings with fixed TiN layer thickness and different Ti layer thicknesses were deposited using a large area filtered arc deposition technique. X-ray diffraction was used to investigate the crystalline structure, lattice strain, and crystallinity of the deposited coatings. A substrate curvature method was used to measure the internal stress in the multilayer coatings. The influence of the Ti interlayer thickness on the crystalline structure and internal stress in the coatings was systematically studied. It was found that a cubic TiN phase and hexagonal Ti phase exist in all the multilayer coatings. The TiN and Ti layers in the multilayer coatings exhibit a strong (111) and (002) preferred orientation, respectively. With the increase in the Ti layer thickness, the d-spacing decreases and the peak width increases for both TiN (111) and Ti (002) peaks, indicating a decrease in the lattice strain and an increase in the crystallinity of both TiN and Ti phases. It is suggested, that the reduction in the defect density in both TiN and Ti layers and the relaxation of the stain by the diffusion of the Ti atoms in the underneath Ti layer contribute to the decrease in the total internal stress with increasing Ti layer thickness.

OBJECTIVES:This paper reports on a statistically significant association between alcohol use and deployment to the 2003 Iraq War. It assesses the occupational factors and deployment experiences associated with heavy drinking in regular UK servicemen deployed to Iraq in the first phase of the 2003 Iraq War (Operation TELIC 1, the military codename for the conflict in Iraq).METHODS:A random representative sample of 3578 regular male UK Armed Forces personnel who were deployed to Iraq during Operation TELIC 1 participated in a cross-sectional postal questionnaire study (response rate 61%). Participants completed a questionnaire, between June 2004 and March 2006 (ie, after deployment), about their health, including a measure of alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, AUDIT) and questions about their experiences on deployment to Iraq. Heavy drinkers were identified as those scoring 16 or above on the AUDIT.RESULTS:After adjustment for sociodemographic and military factors, and the presence of psychological distress, heavy drinkers were more likely to have had major problems at home during (odds ratio (OR) 1.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04 to 1.70) and following their deployment (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.32 to 2.14). Being deployed with their parent unit (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.61), medium to high in-theatre unit comradeship (medium: OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.77; high: OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.79) and poor unit leadership (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.37 to 2.31) were also associated with heavy drinking.CONCLUSIONS:Deployment experiences and problems at home during and following deployment, as well as the occupational milieu of the unit, influence personnel's risk of heavy drinking.

∗Jacqueline A. French, †Andres M. Kanner, ‡Jocelyn Bautista, §Bassel Abou-Khalil, ‖Thomas Browne, ¶Cynthia L. Harden, ∗∗William H. Theodore, ††Carl Bazil, ‡‡John Stern, ‡‡Steven C. Schachter, †Donna Bergen, ∗∗Deborah Hirtz, ‖Georgia D. Montouris, §§Mark Nespeca, ‖‖Barry Gidal, ¶¶William J. Marks, Jr., ∗∗∗William R. Turk, †††James H. Fischer, ‡‡‡Blaise Bourgeois, §§§Andrew Wilner, ‖‖‖R. Edward Faught, Jr., ¶¶¶Rajesh C. Sachdeo, ∗∗∗∗Ahmad Beydoun, and ††††Tracy A. Glauser ∗University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; †Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush Medical College, Chicago, Illinois; ††The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio; §Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee; //Boston University Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts; ¶Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York; ∗∗National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; ††Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, New York; ††Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; §§Children’s Hospital, San Diego, California; ////School of Pharmacy and Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison, Wisconsin; ¶¶University of California San Francisco Epilepsy Center, San Francisco, California; ∗∗∗Nemours Children’s Clinic, Division of Neurology, Jacksonville, Florida; †††University of Illinois College of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Neurology, Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine, Chicago, Illinois; †††Department of Neurology, Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; §§§Providence, Rhode Island; //////Department of Neurology, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama; ¶¶¶Department of Neurology, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey; ∗∗∗∗Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; and ††††Department of Neurology, Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.A.

PINAL AND epidural anesthesia have been shown to provide satisfactory operating conditions, good postoperative analgesia, and to be a safe alternative to general anesthesia in high-risk infants. This includes babies, premature neonates, and those with respiratory disease.‘-* The availability of fine-gauge Tuohy needles and catheters has made it possible to cannulate the epidural space of infants and children. Continuous epidural analgesia for surgery below the diaphragm is well described in pediatric practice.“1° There is, however, only one report of the use of thoracic epidural analgesia for thoracic surgery.11 A case is reported in which thoracic epidural analgesia was used as part of the anesthetic technique in a child scheduled for a right lower lobectomy. A thermal imaging camera (NEC SAN-ei T61) was used to continuously observe the changes in skin temperature, over the trunk and limbs, after the epidural injection of a loading dose of bupivicaine. The results of the thermal imaging are presented and discussed in the context of spinal and epidural blockade in neonates and children.

Results are given which show that the dielectric recovery after current zero, of short, stationary A.C.arcs between brass electrodes, is similar to that of cold-electrode arcs previously investigated and described. These results also show that the rate of recovery of dielectric strength of hot-electrode arcs after a current zero may be greatly increased by reducing, within limits, the electrode separation. A possible explanation on the basis of ionic diffusion to the electrode surfaces and the deionizing action of blasts of metal vapor from the boiling electrodes is mentioned.

The restriking after zero current of short stationary A.C. arcs with brass, copper, zinc, iron, tungsten and carbon electrodes, and of arcs moving rapidly over copper electrodes was investigated with a cathode-ray tube of the Braun type. The voltampere traces on the fluorescent screen showed clearly the voltage necessary to restrike the arc after current zero, and the effect of the electrode vapor on the magnitude and variation of the restriking voltage. The arcs with refractory electrodes, i.e. carbon and tungsten, showed traces differing from the arcs with the other metals in that no high voltage for restriking the arc appeared. This is believed to be due to the refractory electrodes being at a temperature high enough for thermionic emission. For the other electrode materials, re-ignition voltages of several hundred volts were observed, suggesting that re-ignition of the arc required breakdown of a gas layer by ionization by collision alone. The arcs which were rapidly moving over their electrodes usually restruck to a glow before breaking down to an arc. The magnitudes of the restriking voltage and the glow current depended upon the condition of the electrodes, magnitude of the driving magnetic field, and the transient characteristic of the circuit in which the arc was playing.

Objective To assess the evidence demonstrating efficacy, tolerability, and safety of seven new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) (gabapentin, lamotrigine, topiramate, tiagabine, oxcarbazepine, levetiracetam, and zonisamide) in the treatment of children and adults with refractory partial and generalized epilepsies.This is Header 2 Methods A 23-member committee including general neurologists, pediatric neurologists, epileptologists, and doctors in pharmacy evaluated the available evidence based on a structured literature review including MEDLINE, Current Contents, and Cochrane library for relevant articles from 1987 until March 2003. Results All of the new AEDs were found to be appropriate for adjunctive treatment of refractory partial seizures in adults. Gabapentin can be effective for the treatment of mixed seizure disorders, and gabapentin, lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine, and topiramate for the treatment of refractory partial seizures in children. Limited evidence suggests that lamotrigine and topiramate are also effective for adjunctive treatment of idiopathic generalized epilepsy in adults and children, as well astreatment of the Lennox Gastaut syndrome. Conclusions The choice of AED depends upon seizure and/or syndrome type, patient age, concomitant medications, AED tolerability, safety, and efficacy. The results of this evidence-based assessment provide guidelines for the prescription of AEDs for patients with refractory epilepsy and identify those seizure types and syndromes where more evidence is necessary.