ABSTRACT. Polycrystalline samples of LaFeO3 and GdFeO3 were synthesized by the molten salt method. Some properties and the quality of the resulting compounds were investigated. The crystal structure and purity of the samples was determined through X-ray diffraction and Rietveld analysis. The vibrational properties were characterized by Raman and IR spectroscopy. Mössbauer spectroscopy was used to determine the ionic state of the Fe ions and the internal hyperfine magnetic fields Considerable reduction of the heat treatment (temperature and time) for the reaction to take place was achieved without detriment of the quality of the compounds.

Polycrystalline samples of FeSe 1-x Te x (x = 0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00) were synthesized by solid-state reaction to study the effects of substituting Se with Te in the system. The magnetization properties of the resulting compounds were investigated and the crystallographic structures of the samples analyzed through X-ray diffraction.Mössbauer spectroscopy was used to determine the ionic state of the Fe ions and the hyperfine fields. The magnetic susceptibility curves of the samples with x = 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75 show superconducting behavior. The lattice parameters and the cell volume increase monotonically with increasing Te concentration and the Mössbauer spectra reveal the absence of internal magnetic hyperfine fields.

The paper presents a benchmarking study carried out within the ‘Mechanics of Unsaturated Soils for Engineering’ (MUSE) network aimed at comparing different techniques for measurement and control of suction. Techniques tested by the eight ‘Mechanics of Unsaturated Soils for Engineering’ research teams include axis-translation (pressure plate and suction-controlled oedometer), highcapacity\ud tensiometer and osmotic technique. The soil used in the exercise was a mixture of uniform sand, sodium bentonite (active clay) and kaolinite (non-active clay), which were all commercially available. Samples were prepared by one team and distributed to all other teams. They were normally consolidated from slurry under one-dimensional conditions (consolidometer) to a given vertical stress.\ud The water retention characteristics of the initially saturated specimens were investigated along the main drying path. Specimens were de-saturated by applying suction through the liquid phase when using an axis-translation technique or osmotic method and de-saturated by air-drying,\ud when suction was measured using igh-capacity tensiometers. In general, the same technique was tested by at least two teams. The water retention curves obtained using the different techniques are compared and discrepancies are discussed in the paper.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

The existence of the principal directions of the ground motion based on Arias intensity is well-known. These principal directions do not necessarily coincide with the orientations of recording sensors or with the orientations along which the ground motion parameters such as the peak ground acceleration and the pseudo-spectral acceleration (PSA) are maximum. This is evidenced by the fact that the maximum PSA at different natural vibration periods for horizontal excitations do not correspond to the same orientation. A recent analysis carried out for California earthquake records suggests that an orientation-dependent ground motion measurement for horizontal excitations can be developed. The main objective of this study is to investigate and provide seismic ground motion measurements in the horizontal plane, including bidirectional horizontal ground motions, for Mexican interplate and inslab earthquake records. Extensive statistical analyses of PSA are conducted for the assessment. The analysis results suggest that similar to the case of California records, the average behavior of the ratio of the PSA to the maximum resulting PSA can be approximated by a quarter of an ellipse in one quadrant; and that the ratio can be considered to be independent of the value of the maximum resulting PSA, earthquake magnitude, earthquake distance and the focal depth. Sets of response ratios and attenuation relationships that can be used to represent a bidirectional horizontal ground motion measurement for Mexican interplate and inslab earthquakes were also developed.

Many university texts on mechanics consider the effect of air drag force, using the slowing down of a parachute as an example. Very few discuss what happens when the drag force is proportional to both u and u2. In this paper we deal with a real problem to illustrate the effect of both terms on the speed of a runner: a theoretical model of the world-record 100 m sprint of Usain Bolt during the 2009 World Championships in Berlin is developed, assuming a drag force proportional to u and to u2. The resulting equation of motion is solved and fitted to the experimental data obtained from the International Association of Athletics Federations, which recorded Bolt's position with a laser velocity guard device. It is worth noting that our model works only for short sprints.