The increase in the number of financial restatements in recent years has resulted in a significant decrease in the amount of market capitalization for restated companies. Prior literature does not differentiate between single and multiple restatements announcements. This research investigates the inter-relationships among multiple financial restatements, corporate governance, market microstructure and the firm's rate of return in the form of three essays by differentiating between single and multiple restatement announcement companies. First essay examines the stock performance of companies announcing the financial restatement multiple times. The postulation is that prior research overestimates the abnormal return by not separating single restatement companies from multiple restatement companies. This study investigates how market penalizes the companies that announce restatement more than once. Differentiating the restatement announcement data based on number of restatement announcements, the results support for non persistence hypothesis that the market has no memory and negative abnormal returns obtained after each of the restatement announcements are completely random. Second essay examines the multiple restatement announcements and its perceived resultant information asymmetry around the announcement day. This study examines the pattern of information asymmetry for these announcements in terms of whether the bid-ask spread widens around the announcement day. The empirical analysis supports the hypotheses that the spread does widen not only around the first restatement announcement day but around every subsequent announcement days as well. The third essay empirically examines the financial and corporate governance characteristics of single and multiple restatement announcements companies. The analysis shows that corporate governance variables influence the occurrence of multiple restatement announcements and can distinguish multiple restatements announcement companies from single restatement announcement companies.

A coated conductor is generally fabricated by depositing a high Tc superconducting layer onto a flexible metallic substrate, using intermediate buffer layers to prevent chemical interaction. In order for the superconductor to be capable of carrying a high current density, its grains must have good crystallographic alignment in order to avoid the presence of high angle grain boundaries. This can be ensured by transferring the texture from the substrate through epitaxial film growth. The main substrate considered in this thesis is a Ni-Fe alloy. When cold-rolled, NiFe develops a preferential orientation and upon annealing at an elevated temperature, undergoes primary recrystallisation to form grains with the cube texture {100}<001>. There crystallisation process and the texture of the tapes has been examined and various buffer layers have been fabricated. As silver does not react adversely with high temperature superconductors, it has been deposited onto Pd-buffered NiFe by DC sputtering and very sharp cube texture is obtained. Ceramic buffer layers, CeO2 and YSZ, have been deposited by RF sputtering, though an undesirable (111) oriented component accompanies the cube textured material. Also a technique has been developed to produce a suitably oriented native oxide of NiFe by a simple oxidation technique. Preliminary attempts to deposit YBCO films onto these buffer layers have shown that the quality of the metallic buffers is degraded by rapid inter-diffusion at elevated temperatures, but that cube textured material can be deposited on the oxide buffer layers. The percolative nature of current flow in such coated conductors has been considered through the development of a grain network model. As the texture of the superconducting layer is directly influenced by the underlying layers, measurements from the substrate and buffer layers are applied in order to model the orientations of the grains in a superconducting overlayer. The model calculates the critical current of coated conductors as a function of parameters such as length, width, grain size and texture, as well as examining factors such as cracks and highly misoriented grains.

Ce travail concerne l'étude de la texture et de la microstructure en relation avec les propriétés supraconductrices Tc et Jc de supraconducteurs haute température critique SHTc : YBCO et NBCO. Les techniques de caractérisation utilisées pour la microstructure sont la diffraction de RX et la diffraction d'électrons (Electron Back-Scatter Diffraction) "EBSD". Tc et Jc ont été déduits des mesures d'aimantation et de susceptibilité magnétique au SQUID (Superconducting Quantum Interference Device) et PPMS (Physical Properties Measument System). La première partie de l'étude traite de la caractérisation de la texture de couches minces SHTc d'YBCO, et de la possibilité de déterminer les relations d'épitaxie par EBSD entre le film déposé et la couche tampon. Ce type d'échantillon est constitué d'un substrat de saphir sur lequel 3 couches successives ont été déposées dont 300 nm de YBCO, destinées aux applications électrotechniques comme limiteurs de courant. La deuxième partie concerne l'étude de matériaux massifs supraconducteurs YBCO et NBCO fabriqués par différentes techniques. L'effet du dopage d'YBCO avec de l'argent a été étudié sur des échantillons fabriqués par la technique dite de "texturation par croissance orientée" soit MTG (Melt Textured Growth) et sous une faible pression partielle d'oxygène. Le dopage jusqu'à un certain pourcentage d'argent améliore la microstructure ainsi que la densité de courant critique. Une comparaison des caractéristiques physiques et structurales d'échantillons NBCO oxygénés ex-situ et YBCO in-situ, élaborés par MTG sous champ magnétique intense a été effectuée. De même des échantillons NBCO texturés par la technique de fusion de zone (Zone Melting) oxygénés respectivement in-situ et ex-situ ont été étudiés. Ils présentent des textures similaires avec présence de macles pour NBCO oxygéné ex-situ / The aim of this work is the study of crystallographic texture and microstructure in connection with the superconducting properties (Tc and Jc) of High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) materials: YBCO and NBCO. Microstructure is studied by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Electron backscatter Diffraction (EBSD). The Determination of critical temperature (Tc) and critical current density (Jc) are made with Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) magnetometer or Physical Properties Measurement System (PPMS). The first part of this work investigates the crystallographic textures of the YBCO film by using EBSD in order to deduce the epitaxial relationship between the superconducting layer and the buffer layer. This thin film is made up of three successive deposits (among which 300 nm of YBCO), used in fault current limiters for electrical engineering applications. The second part presents the study of NdBa2Cu3O7-d (NBCO) and YBCO bulks prepared by various techniques. The effect of silver doping of YBCO has been studied on samples prepared by the Melt Textured Growth (MTG) technique under low oxygen partial pressure. The doping up to a given amount of silver enhances the microstructure and the critical current density. A comparison of the physical and structural characteristics between NBCO oxygenated exsitu and YBCO oxygenated in-situ, prepared by MTG under high magnetic field has been made. Zone-melted NBCO samples textured by zone melting method oxygenated respectively in-situ and ex-situ have been studied. These samples exhibit the same texture with the occurrence of twins for the NBCO oxygenated ex-situ

The influence of microstructure on the corrosion behaviour of magnesium alloys has been investigated using advanced microscopy approaches including optical microscopy, SEM, TEM and SKPFM with a focus on the effect of melt-conditioned twin roll casting (MCTRC) and friction stir welding (FSW) on the resultant microstructure of magnesium alloys.The microstructure characterization revealed that intense shearing, generated through the advanced shear technology, resulted in grain refinement and a uniform distribution of the β-phase and reduced micro-porosity in the MCTRC Mg-Al alloys, of which were attributed to the enhanced heterogeneous nucleation, which resulted in a highly refined grain structure. The TRC Mg-Al alloys displayed a coarse grained microstructure, with a random distribution of grain sizes. Deformation features like twinning, localized shear, microporosity and centre-line segregation were some of the commonly observed defects in the TRC alloys. The general microstructure of the AZ series Mg-Al alloys was composed of α-Mg grains, the β-phase, rosette-shaped Al8Mn5 intermetallic particles and β-precipitates.The MCTRC Mg-Al alloys showed improved corrosion resistance owing to the reduced grain size and the β-phase network acting as a corrosion barrier, thereby retarding the corrosion process. The TRC Mg-Al alloys exhibited higher susceptibility to galvanic corrosion due to the coarse and random distribution of grain sizes, and segregation. The corrosion testing results showed different corrosion morphologies, including filiform-like and spherical channel-like along with overall general corrosion. However, galvanic corrosion, initiating at localized sites due to Al8Mn5 intermetallic particles and the Si/Fe impurities accounted for a major deterioration in the performance of the Mg-Al alloys. The polarization curves revealed no evidence of passivation, suggesting that the alloy surface was continuously attacked. SKPFM results indicated that the micro-constituents, namely Al8Mn5 intermetallic particles and the β-phase exhibited higher nobility relative to the α-Mg matrix, suggesting formation of micro-galvanic couples at localized sites leading to the initiation of galvanic corrosion.The AM60 and AZ91 Mg-Al alloys, subjected to FSW, revealed that the traverse speed had a direct influence on the weld zone microstructure, where the size of the friction stir/weld nugget zone decreased with increase in the traverse speed and the increase in the rate of deformation, led to widening of the friction stir zone, below the shoulder. The weld microstructure displayed a prominent friction stir zone, with an ultrafine grain structure of an average grain size ranging from 2-10 μm. The localized increase in temperatures, in the TMAZ, due to the lower tool rotation rates and traverse speeds, which rise above the eutectic melting point (430°C), showed evidence of partial melting followed by re-solidification of the β-phase and evidence of liquation below the shoulder regions in the TMAZ. The morphology of the β-phase clearly revealed solute segregation, inconsistent with the β-phase observed in the parent alloy microstructure.The polarization curves obtained from the weld zones in the FSW AM60 alloy showed an improved corrosion resistance compared with the parent metal zone. SKPFM results revealed that the α-Mg matrix in the friction stir zone showed higher surface potential values compared with the parent alloy microstructure, due to the dissolution of the β-phase, suggesting higher nobility. However, the polarization behaviour of the AZ91 alloys did not show a significant difference in the corrosion resistance in the weld zones due to the higher volume fraction of the β-phase in the AZ91 alloys. The immersion testing results revealed higher susceptibility to corrosion in the transition zone due to the flash formation and the banded microstructure leading to failure of the weld zone.

Orientadores: Amauri Garcia, Wislei Riuper Ramos Osório / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-22T04:44:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Peixoto_LeandroCesardeLorena_D.pdf: 28075319 bytes, checksum: 2535b56f95b9fb469e95bb5f7f810eff (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: O presente trabalho pretende contribuir para o entendimento do desenvolvimento microestrutural e das propriedades de ligas diluídas dos sistemas Pb-Ag e Pb-Bi que apresentam importância para a indústria na fabricação de componentes de baterias automotivas e estacionárias. As amostras foram obtidas através de experimentos de solidificação unidirecional realizados em dispositivo no qual o calor é extraído somente pelo sistema de resfriamento a água, localizado na base do conjunto lingote/lingoteira (solidificação vertical ascendente). Taxas e velocidades de solidificação são determinadas a partir do registro de temperaturas a partir de termopares posicionados dentro da lingoteira em diferentes posições. As amostras foram utilizadas para analisar as influências das variáveis térmicas de solidificação e da concentração de soluto das ligas nas macro e microestruturas resultantes e na resistência mecânica. São determinados os limites de resistência à tração e escoamento e alongamentos específicos em função de espaçamento dendrítico e celular. A influência do arranjo microestrutural no comportamento eletroquímico é também avaliada por intermédio dos ensaios de espectroscopia de impedância eletroquímica, extrapolação de Tafel nas curvas de polarização potenciodinâmicas e análise por circuito equivalente em solução eletrolítica de 0,5 M de ácido sulfúrico à temperatura ambiente. Observa-se que as resistências à corrosão e à tração das ligas Pb-Ag aumentam com o refino microestrutural. O surgimento de espaçamentos terciários na liga Pb-2,4%Ag influencia negativamente na resistência à corrosão e contribui para o aumento do alongamento específico desta liga. Para as ligas Pb-Bi, a microestrutura é caracterizada por espaçamentos celulares e a resistência à corrosão é maior para um arranjo celular mais grosseiro. O teor de bismuto influi negativamente na resistência à corrosão e não tem influência na resposta mecânica. Embora da ordem de 10 vezes mais cara, por conta do valor da prata, as ligas Pb-Ag apresentam valores de resistência mecânicos mais altos e melhor resistência à corrosão induzindo que o uso dessas ligas pode aumentar o ciclo de vida desses componentes em até 5 vezes quando comparado com ligas tradicionais usadas para componentes de baterias chumbo-ácido / Abstract: The present work aims to contribute to the understanding of the microstructural development and properties of dilute PbAg and PbBi alloys which are widely applied in the manufacture of automobile and stationary lead-acid batteries. A water-cooled vertical upward unidirectional solidification system was used to obtain the samples. The experimental set-up was designed in such a way that the heat was extracted only through the water-cooled bottom, promoting upward directional solidification. Thermal readings were obtained by thermocouples positioned at different distances from the heat-extracting surface at the casting bottom. Both PbAg and PbBi alloys were used to analyze the effects of the cooling rate and growth rates and solute content on the resulting macro and microstructures and on the mechanical properties. The ultimate tensile and yield strengths and the elongations were determined as a function of the cellular and dendritic spacing. The effect of the resulting microstructure on the electrochemical corrosion behavior was also analyzed based on electrochemical parameters, determined by Tafel plots at potentiodynamic polarization curves and on equivalent circuit analysis after corrosion tests carried out in a 0.5 M sulphuric acid solution. It was observed that both the corrosion resistance and the ultimate tensile strength increased with the decrease in the dendritic spacing for Pb-Ag alloys. The tertiary spacing's, which occurred for the Pb-2.4 wt.% Ag alloy showed a deleterious effect on the corrosion response increased the elongation. A cellular microstructure characterized the Pb-Bi casting alloys, and the corrosion resistance was shown to be higher for coarse cells than for fine ones. The bismuth content has negatively affected the corrosion resistance, while no effect was observed for the mechanical behavior. Although the higher cost of Pb-Ag alloys due to the presence of silver, these alloys have evidenced high values of both mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. This indicates that Pb-Ag alloys can provide higher life-time cycle (up to five times) of the lead-acid battery components when compared with other traditional and commonly commercialized Pb-based alloys / Doutorado / Materiais e Processos de Fabricação / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

Alkali silica reaction (ASR) is detrimental to concrete. It is a time-dependent phenomenon, which can lead to strength loss, cracking, volume expansion, and premature failure of concrete structures. In essence, it is a particular chemical reaction involving alkali hydroxides and reactive form of silica present within the concrete mix. Geopolymer is a type of alkaline activated binder synthesized through polycondensation reaction of geopolymeric precursor and alkali polysilicates. In this thesis, three types of reactive aggregates with different chemical compositions were used. Systematic laboratory experiments and microstructural analysis were carried out for the geopolymer concrete and the OPC concrete made with the same aggregates. The result suggests that the extent of ASR reaction due to the presence of three reactive aggregates in geopolymer concrete is substantially lower than that in OPC based concrete, which is explained by the pore solution change and verified through their microstructural variations and FTIR images.

Process dependent microstructural effects in ferroelectric SrBi2Ta2O9 (SBT) thin films were characterized and distinguished from material dependent optical properties using a systematic multi-layer modeling technique. Variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) models were developed by sequentially testing Bruggeman effective-media approximation (EMA) layers designed to simulate microstructural effects such as surface roughness, porosity, secondary phases, and substrate interaction. Cross-sectional analysis by atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM) and (SEM) guided and confirmed the structure of multi-layer models for films produced by pulsed laser deposition (PLD), metal-organic chemical vapor decomposition (MOCVD), and metal-organic deposition (MOD). VASE was used to estimated the volume percentage of second phase Bi2O3 in SBT thin films made by MOD. Since Bi₂O₃ was 10 orders of magnitude more conductive than SBT, second phase Bi₂O₃ produced elevated leakage currents. Equivalent circuits and percolation theory were applied to predict leakage current based on Bi₂O₃ content and connectivity. The complex role of excess Bi2O3 in the crystallization of SBT was reviewed from a processing perspective. VASE helped clarify the nature of the interaction between SBT films and Si substrates. When SBT was deposited by MOD and annealed on Si substrates, the measured capacitance was reduced from that of SBT on Pt due mainly to the formation of amorphous SiO₂ near the SBT/Si interface. VASE showed that the thickness and roughness of the SiO₂ reaction layer increased with annealing temperature, in agreement with TEM measurements. Unlike PZT, SBT crystallization was not controlled by substrate interaction. / Master of Science

Prairie (Microtus ochrogaster) and woodland (Microtus pinetorum) voles, which exhibit distinctly different ecological preferences (grassland versus forest), commonly co-occur in paleontological deposits in eastern North America. Despite their ecological differences, their molar morphology is similar. Assuming that those ecologic differences occurred in the past, differentiation of these two taxa is important for paleoenvironmental reconstruction. A sample of 51 lower first molars from living populations were viewed via scanning electron microscope to qualify and quantify schmelzmuster (enamel microstructure) to species-specific standards applicable to the fossil record. The most obvious differences between schmelzmuster of the two taxa are the relatively thicker bands of radial enamel on the leading edges of triangles of M. ochrogaster, as well as the consistent retention of tangential or primitive tangential enamel on the trailing edges and posterior enamel band of the posterior loop of M. pinetorum. Discriminant analysis of landmark data from the same 51 specimens established morphological boundaries for these taxa and successfully separated the recent m1s of M. ochrogaster from those of M. pinetorum. To test identification confidence from previous work, and to add an independent means of identification for future work (at any site), both techniques were applied to a sample of three-closed triangle (“M. ochrogaster” type) m1s from the late Pleistocene Wapsipinicon Local Fauna of Jones County, Iowa. Identifications of the specimens from the Wapsipinicon l.f. based on schmelzmuster and morphometric analysis are consistent with those reached using traditional morphology. Such methods serve as independent “check” of traditional (qualitative) identification, highlight new species-level characters, and quantify previously described features, for discrimination of these taxa.

Multiscaled experimental investigations of heat transfer from nanoscales to macroscales are requisite to progress in energy technologies. In nuclear applications, material properties can undergo significant alteration due to destructive interaction with irradiating particles at microstructural levels that affect bulk properties. Correlating material microstructure to bulk material properties remains a crucial hurdle for obtaining first-principles-based, full-scale material property predictive capability. Ion-irradiated material studies provide valuable insight into material behavior under irradiation conditions that can be correlated to neutron irradiation effects. Through such studies, the need of costly (money and time) studies of neutron interaction with materials can be mitigated significantly. One of the challenges associated with studies of ion-irradiated materials is that the affected layer, or penetration depth, is typically very thin (~0.1-100μm for laboratory accelerators). Few investigations have been reported of ion-irradiation effects on thermal transport properties, in part, due to the challenge associated with measurements at the spatial scales of the zones of interest. This study expands the current knowledge base regarding thermal transport in ion-irradiated materials through the use of a multiscaled experimental approach using thermal wave methods. In a manner not previously explored, four thermal wave methods are used to characterize the proton-irradiated layer in ZrC including scanning thermal microscopy, spatial-scanning front-detection photothermal radiometry (PTR), lock-in IR thermography (lock-in IRT), and tomographic, frequency-based PTR. For the first time, the in-depth thermal conductivity profile of an ion-irradiated sample is measured directly. The profiles obtained by each of the spatial scanning methods are compared to each other and the numerical prediction of the ion-damage profile. The complementary nature of the various techniques validates the measured profile and the measured degradation of thermal conductivity in the ZrC sample showing the viability of such complementary studies.

Inconel 718 is a nickel-based superalloy with a series of superior properties, such as high strength, creep-resistance, and corrosion-resistance. Additive manufacturing (AM) is appealing to Inconel 718 because of its near-net-shape production capability to circumvent poor machinability. However, AM parts are prone to detrimental porosity, reducing their fatigue resistance. Thus, further understanding of AM fatigue behavior is required before widespread industrial use. The microstructural and fatigue properties of heat treated AM Inconel 718, produced using Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENSTM), are evaluated at room and elevated temperatures. Fully reversed, strain-controlled fatigue tests were performed on cylindrical specimens at strain amplitudes of 0.001 to 0.01 mm/mm. Fracture surfaces were inspected using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Heat treatment caused initial dendritic microstructure to mostly reorm into an equiaxed grain structure. AM specimens experienced reduced fatigue life in testing as compared to wrought material due to inclusions or pores near the surface