The 43rd Annual Conference on Applications ofX-ray Analysis was held August 1-5, 1994, at the Sheraton Steamboat Resort & Conference Center in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The Denver X-Ray Conference has evolved from the 1950's into an international forum for the interaction of scientists, engineers and technologists interested in the use of x-rays in materials characterization. It has not only acted as a venue but has both stimulated and nurtured many of the principal developments in this field over the years. The major changes that have been occurring on the national and international scene as a result of the end of the cold war have dramatic-ally affected the way the materials community does business. The removal of defense priorities and development funds from most new materials initiatives has stimulated the char acterization communities to look to increasing the speed of their methods. This is being accom plished via the development of very fast dynamic characterization procedures which can rapidly and intelligently monitor and optimize the formation of a desired microstructure. The develop ment of intelligent characterization procedures applied in real-time during the manufacturing process can lead to the ability to design desired microstructures. Another potential advantage to this approach is its ability to characterize the actual amount of material which goes into a final product; permitting a rapid transition from R&D to manufacturing by avoiding the prob lems associated with scale-up.

The 39th Denver Conference on Applications of X-ray Analysis was held July 31-August 4, 1995, at the Sheraton Hotel, Colorado Springs, Colorado. The year 1995 was a special year for the X-ray analysis community, since it represented the 100th anniversary ofthe discovery ofX-rays by Wilhelm Roentgen. In commemoration of this event, the Plenary Session of the conference was entitled "THE ROENTGEN COMMEMORATIVE SESSION:1895-1995, "100 YEARS OF PROGRESS IN X-RA Y SCIENCE AND APPLICATIONS". It is interesting to note that while we celebrate 100 years ofthe use ofX-ray techniques in general, and about 80 years ofX-ray diffraction and spectroscopy in particular, the Denver X-ray Conference has been in place for about half ofthat time period! Like the X-ray methods it represents, the Denver Conference on Applications ofX-ray Analysis has grown and matured, has survived the rigors oftime, and today, provides the worlds' best annual forum for the exchange of experiences and developments in the various fields ofX-ray analysis. Imagine, when the Denver Conference started in 1951, there were no personal computer- in fact, there were no computers, period! There was no SEM, no microprobe, there were no Si(Li) detectors, no transistors, no synchrotrons, Hugo Rietveld was a child, and many members who regularly attend Denver Meetings today, weren't even born yet! As I write this foreword, a copy of volurne 1 of Advances in X-ray Analysis lays in front of me on my desk.

Whole Pattern Fitting, Rietveld Analysis, and Calculated Diffraction Patterns. Quantitative Phase Analysis by XRay Diffraction (XRD). Thin Film and Surface Characterization by XRD. Lattice Defects and XRay Topography. Texture Analysis by XRD. XRD Instrumentation, Techniques, and Reference Materials. Stress Determination by Diffraction Methods. XRD Profile Fitting, Crystallite Size and Strain Determination. XRD Applications: Detection Limits, Superconductors, Organics, Minerals. Mathematical Methods in XRay Spectrometry (XRS). Thin Film and Surface Characterization by XRS and XPS. Total Reflection XRS. XRS Techniques and Instrumentation. XRS Applications. XRay Imaging and Tomography. 161 articles. Index.