Effect of isothermal dissolution and re-precipitation of austenite on the mechanical properties of duplex structures

The hot deformation behaviour of a duplex ferritic/austenitic stainless steel was studied after different deformation conditions. The results showed a strange and interesting behaviour in the strength of the material during post-deformation studies. For most deformation conditions, the flow stress of the material was un-expectedly increased after annealing of deformed structures. This phenomenon implied that microstructural hardening occurred in the material during the interpass annealing rather than the expected softening. Also, an interesting change was observed where the morphology of the austenite phase changed from stringers or layers of austenite to a widmanstätten structure. The microstructural studies suggest that the austenite was dissolved and re-precipitated during the annealing process and the hardening was mostly associated with the change in the morphology of austenite.

IP in Asia

This presentation will start with a brief review of the first phase of this project, which focused largely on the impact on innovation of legal and institutional IP reforms in Asia triggered by the WTO Agreement on Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and by subsequent bilateral or multilateral Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). The presentation will then show the emerging issues relevant for the second phase of the project, which in an increasingly diversified IP landscape will lie at the intersection of IP with other disciplines and other areas of law, such as competition law, media law, criminal law, human rights, environmental law and constitutional law.

Intellectual property, creativity and innovation : IP models and the political economy of developing Asia

In advanced capitalist societies, intellectual property laws protecting such subject matter as copyright and patents are justified by a combination of theories, which include the provision of economic incentives to foster creativity and innovation and the prevention of unfair competition. IP academics and policy makers have differing views about the appropriate balance between these objectives and public interest considerations such as health, education and the protection of the environment. These different views entered the policy debate in Asian developing countries in connection with an unprecedented introduction and expansion of IP laws over the last 25 years. This paper will use case studies of law reform from Asia, in particular Southeast Asia, to show that the policy considerations of governments in reforming their laws were often quite different from the standard rationale mentioned above. As much of the IP was, at least initially, held by foreigners and introduced to attract foreign investment, national development considerations were joined with the more commonly quoted objectives to promote the rights, creativity and innovation of individuals. Such national development objectives at times coincided and at other times collided with official explanations and received wisdom about the effects of stronger IP rights.

Especially in the early postcolonial period, copyright laws and other IP laws were frequently restricted or simply not implemented, if they conflicted with development policies in areas such as education or public health. Such policies were slowly changing in the wake of WTO-TRIPS and other international agreements. Nevertheless, the implementation and enforcement of the IP laws has been uneven. Specialised institutions such as courts and IP administering agencies compete with other branches of government and administration for limited funding and a rich repertoire of informal dispute settlement procedures has kept the number of court cases relatively low. In some countries, censorship laws have influenced freedom of expression and led to quite idiosyncratic interpretations of intellectual property laws. Governments often also retain a role in the assessment of licensing and technology transfer contracts. And while there are many programs to foster individual creativity, in most cases R & D activities are still largely taking place in government institutions and this has influenced the thinking about intellectual property rights and creativity in the context of employment.

The paper uses a few case studies to examine the implementation of IP laws in selected Asian developing countries to point to the quite different institutional setting for IP law reform in comparison to European or American models. It reaches some tentative conclusions as to the likely effects on creativity and innovation under these different circumstances.

Shear-enhanced solution precipitation : a simple process to produce short polymeric nanofibers

The growing interest in polymeric nanofibers has been increasing the push for the development of simple and efficient nanofiber-preparation techniques. We herein describe how a conventional solution process is readapted to suit the needs for fast and efficient production of short polymeric nanofibers. Poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) (PEAA), a semi-crystalline polymer, was used as model. When a PEAA solution was injected into an alcoholic non-solvent while simultaneously applying high shear to the non-solvent system, PEAA nanofibers were obtained with average diameter as thin as 113 nm and length as short as 4.5 _m. The fiber diameter and length were also adjustable by varying the operating parameters. This one-step technique advances the currently available nanofabrication tools by adjusting a widely accepted concept to the nano-scale. It may constitute a viable method for large-scale production of short polymeric nanofibers.

Nanoscale precipitation in advanced high strength steels

Precipitation strenghthening is one of the most important approaches for enhancing the strenght of microalloyed steels. This study has made a significant contribution in understanding the nucleation and growth mechanism of nanoscale interphase precipitates in steel during commercial processes. Atom Probe Tomography revealed the existence of nanoscale clusters with precipitates that then dictate the final strength.

Curtains and Doors: Imagery of Precipitation

This refereed conference paper discusses the symbolic unity of various visual motifs in terms of philosophy and metaphysics.  Linking themes to the visual use of curtains and doorways as ques to precipitous events.