Pragmatism as Metal Basis of National Character and Communication Style of Americans

The article covers pragmatism as the national philosophy of the Americans. The main concept of pragmatism is the Truth put in the shape of the thesis: «The Truth is that I believe into». The author states that this principle appears as the main vital one which the Americans are ruled by both at the international stage and in the interpersonal relations inside the country. The ethic of situationism occurs as the identical concept determining the Americans’ behavior according to the situation profitable at the given period of time. In the same way opportunism appears as the skill of using of any methods and possibilities for the aim achievement, i.e the Truth achievement. The author offers to consider the «the pragmatic faith» as the reflection of the Americans’ mentality occurring unconsciously and determining their actions in many ways.

Volume Distribution of Reinforce Particles in a Metal Matrix

The authors studied the volume distribution of particles from ultrafine powders of natural diamond, used as a hardener for a post of diamond tools made on a metal basis by powder metallurgy methods. In [15-17], the authors determined that the addition of ultrafine natural diamond powders to the melt of tin bronze in an amount of 2-3% by weight has a positive effect on the physicomechanical and operational properties of the metal post. It was also determined that the hardening mechanism of the materials under study depends on the nature of the distribution of the hardener particles in the bulk of the matrix. In accordance with previous studies, the authors set the aim - to determine the distribution nature of reinforcing phase particles in the volume of the metal matrix. The studies were carried out using optical metallography, SEM microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. It was established that the particles of the hardener in the volume of the matrix are distributed evenly along the phase boundaries and in the body of the grains and reduce the number of pores formed during sintering compared with the original samples. With the established nature of the distribution of particles, a grain-boundary hardening mechanism is realized, in which dislocations are inhibited by grain boundaries, which are an insurmountable obstacle for them. It is also established that a part of the particles settle directly inside the grains of the material and is distributed throughout the volume uniformly contributing to the dispersion hardening mechanism.

Gold and Coins in the Age of Standardization

This chapter addresses the changeover from a silver standard to a gold standard for the Norwegian monetary system. On 8 May 1873, after a long and heated debate, the Storting decided to establish a new metal basis for the Norwegian monetary system, by transitioning from silver to gold. In the same resolution, the Storting rejected the proposal to join Sweden and Denmark in a monetary union. The gold standard eventually prevailed, thanks to Great Britain’s financial weight and pragmatic arguments regarding gold’s superiority to silver as a basis for metal-based monetary systems. However, the larger dream, partly forgotten because it did not materialize, was the establishment of a universal coin (universal coinage), intended to give all people access to the same monetary unit for cross-border payments. In its first round, this initiative was aborted as a result of international events and national politics. Two years later, as a strictly regional solution, Norway finally joined its two neighbouring countries in the Scandinavian Monetary Union. Along with two other national banks, Norges Bank contributed to the ever-expanding monetary union in its area of influence and improved it with new and efficient ways of settling payments, the main objective being the promotion of trade.

Microstructure and Electrical Conductivity of Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia with Lithium Addition

Yttria-stabilized zirconia is a singular polycrystaline ceramic with a range of technological applications. The combination of its physical properties is responsible for application as solid electrolytes in solid oxide fuel cells. High densification is required for this and other applications. The sintering of this solid electrolyte is still a matter of investigation. To reduce the sintering temperature, the introduction of additives is an effective approach. In this work, the effects of lithium addition on microstructure and electrical conductivity of 8 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia was studied by scanning electron microscopy and impedance spectroscopy, respectively. Cylindrical pellets were prepared by pressing, followed by sintering at 1200oC without and with 1 and 2 mol% lithium (metal basis). As precursor materials both lithium carbonate and lithium fluoride were used. The main microstructure features were correlated with the results of electrical conductivity.