A Novel Mo and Nb Microalloyed Medium Mn TRIP Steel with Maximal Ultimate Strength and Moderate Ductility

The multi-phase, metastable, and multi-scale (M3) constitution of a novel transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steel (Fe-0.17C-6.5Mn-1.1Al-0.22Mo-0.05Nb, wt pct) was designed through thermodynamic calculations combined with experimental analysis. In this study, Mo and Nb microalloying was used to control the fraction of retained austenite and its mechanical stability during tensile deformation and to improve the yield strength. Thermodynamic calculations were developed to determine the critical annealing temperature, at which a large fraction of retained austenite (~38 pct) would be obtained through the effects of solute enrichment. The experimental observation was in good agreement with the predicted results. According to the critical annealing temperature, such an ultrafine (<200 nm) M3, microstructure with optimum mechanical stability was successfully achieved. The results of this work demonstrated the superior performance with improved yield strength of 1020 to 1140 MPa and excellent ductility (>30 pct), as compared with other TRIP steels. Both angle-selective backscatter and electron backscatter diffraction techniques were employed to interpret the transformation from the deformed martensitic laths to the ultrafine austenite and ferrite duplex structure.

Among- and within-individual correlations between basal and maximal metabolic rates in birds

The aerobic capacity model proposes that endothermy is a by-product of selection favouring high maximal metabolic rates (MMR) and its mechanistic coupling with basal metabolic rate (BMR). Attempts to validate this model in birds are equivocal and restricted to phenotypic correlations (rP), thus failing to distinguish among- and within-individual correlations (rind and re). We examined 300 paired measurements of BMR and MMR from 60 house sparrows before and after two levels of experimental manipulation - testosterone implants and immune challenge. Overall, repeatability was significant in both BMR (R=0.25±0.06) and MMR (R=0.52±0.06). Only the testosterone treatment altered the rP between BMR and MMR, which resulted from contrasting effects on rind and re. While rind was high and significant (0.62±0.22) in sham-implanted birds, re was negative and marginally non-significant (-0.15±0.09) in testosterone-treated birds. Thus, the expected mechanistic link between BMR and MMR was apparent, but only in birds with low testosterone levels.

Individual (co)variation in thermal reaction norms of standard and maximal metabolic rates in wild-caught slimy salamanders

Standard metabolic rate (SMR) and maximal metabolic rate (MMR) are fundamental measures in ecology and evolution because they set the scope within which animals can perform activities that directly affect fitness. In ectotherms, both SMR and MMR are repeatable over time when measured at a single ambient temperature (Ta). Many ectotherms encounter variable Ta from day to day and over their lifetime, yet it is currently unknown whether individual differences hold across an ecologically relevant range of Ta (i.e. thermal repeatability; RT). Moreover, it is possible that thermal sensitivity of SMR and MMR are important individual attributes, and correlated with one another, but virtually nothing is known about this at present. We measured SMR and MMR across an ecologically relevant Ta gradient (i.e. from 10 to 25 °C) in wild-caught salamanders (Plethodon albagula) and found that RT was significant in both traits. SMR and MMR were also positively correlated, resulting in a lower RT in absolute and factorial aerobic scopes (AAS and FAS). We found significant individual differences in thermal sensitivity for both SMR and MMR, but not for AAS and FAS. The intercept (at Ta = 0 °C) and the slope of the thermal reaction norms were negatively correlated; individuals with low MR at low Ta had a higher thermal sensitivity. Finally, individuals with a high thermal sensitivity for SMR also had high thermal sensitivity for MMR. Our results suggest that natural selection occurring over variable Ta may efficiently target the overall level of - and thermal sensitivity in - SMR and MMR. However, this may not be the case for metabolic scopes, as the positive correlation between SMR and MMR, in addition to their combined changes in response to Ta, yielded little individual variation in AAS and FAS. Our results support the idea that organisms with low metabolism at low Ta have a high metabolic thermal sensitivity as a compensatory mechanism to benefit in periods of warmer environmental conditions. Hence, our study reveals the importance of considering within-individual variation in metabolism, as it may represent additional sources of adaptive (co)variation.

Stream quantiles via maximal entropy histograms

We address the problem of estimating the running quantile of a data stream when the memory for storing observations is limited.We (i) highlight the limitations of approaches previously described in the literature which make them unsuitable for non-stationary streams, (ii) describe a novel principle for the utilization of the available storage space, and (iii) introduce two novel algorithms which exploit the proposed principle. Experiments on three large realworld data sets demonstrate that the proposed methods vastly outperform the existing alternatives.

Comparative study of the microstructures and mechanical properties of direct laser fabricated and arc-melted AlxCoCrFeNi high entropy alloys

High entropy alloys (HEA) are a relatively new metal alloy system that have promising potential in high temperature applications. These multi-component alloys are typically produced by arc-melting, requiring several remelts to achieve chemical homogeneity. Direct laser fabrication (DLF) is a rapid prototyping technique, which produces complex components from alloy powder by selectively melting micron-sized powder in successive layers. However, studies of the fabrication of complex alloys from simple elemental powder blends are sparse. In this study, DLF was employed to fabricate bulk samples of three alloys based on the AlxCoCrFeNi HEA system, where x was 0.3, 0.6 and 0.85M fraction of Al. This produced FCC, FCC/BCC and BCC crystal structures, respectively. Corresponding alloys were also produced by arc-melting, and all microstructures were characterised and compared longitudinal and transverse to the build/solidification direction by x-ray diffraction, glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (EDX and EBSD). Strong similarities were observed between the single phase FCC and BCC alloys produced by both techniques, however the FCC/BCC structures differed significantly. This has been attributed to a difference in the solidification rate and thermal gradient in the melt pool between the two different techniques. Room temperature compression testing showed very similar mechanical behaviour and properties for the two different processing routes. DLF was concluded to be a successful technique to manufacture bulk HEA[U+05F3]s.

Modulation of corticomotor excitability after maximal or sustainable-rate repetitive finger movement is impaired in Parkinson’s disease and is reversed by levodopa

Objectives: In healthy subjects, fatiguing exercises induce a period of post-exercise corticomotor depression (PECD) that is absent in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Our objective is to determine the time-course of corticomotor excitability changes following a 10-s repetitive index finger flexion–extension task performed at maximal voluntary rate (MVR) and a slower sustainable rate (MSR) in PD patients OFF and ON levodopa.
Methods: In 11 PD patients and 10 healthy age-matched controls, motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were recorded from the extensor indicis proprius (EIP) and first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscles of the dominant arm immediately after the two tasks and at 2-min intervals for 10 min.
Results: In the OFF condition the PECD was absent in the two test muscles after both the MVR and MSR tasks. In the ON condition finger movement kinematics improved and a period of PECD comparable to that in controls was present after both tasks.
Conclusion: The absence of PECD in PD subjects off medication indicates a persisting increase in corticomotor excitability after non-fatiguing repetitive finger movement that is reversed by levodopa.

The effects of circadian rhythmicity of salivary cortisol and testosterone on maximal isometric force, maximal dynamic force, and power output

The study investigated the effects of circadian rhythm of cortisol (C) and testosterone (T) on maximal force production (Fpeak) and power output (Ppeak). Twenty male university students (mean age = 23.8 ± 3.6 years, height = 177.5 ± 6.4 cm, weight = 78.9 ± 11.2 kg) performed 4 time-of-day testing sessions consisting of countermovement jumps (CMJs), squat jumps (SJ), isometric midthigh pulls (IMTPs), and a 1-repetition maximum (1RM) squat. Saliva samples were collected at 0800, 1200, 1600, and 2000 hours to assess T and C levels on each testing day. Session rate-of-perceived exertion (RPE) scores were collected after each session. The results showed that Fpeak and Ppeak presented a clear circadian rhythm in CMJ and IMTP but not in SJ. One repetition maximum squat did not display a clear circadian rhythm. Session RPE scores collected at 0800 and 2000 hours were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher than those obtained at 1200 and 1600 hours. Salivary T and C displayed a clear circadian rhythm with highest values at 0800 hours and lowest at 2000 hours; however, no significant correlation was found between T and C with Fpeak and Ppeak. A very strong correlation was found between Taural with Fpeak of CMJ and IMTP and Ppeak of CMJ (r = 0.86, r = 0.84 and r = 0.8, p ≤ 0.001). The study showed the existence of a circadian rhythm in Fpeak and Ppeak in CMJ and IMTP. The evidence suggests that strength and power training or testing should be scheduled later during the day. The use of Taural seemed to be a more effective indicator of physical performance than hormonal measures, and the use of session RPE should also be closely monitored because it may present a circadian rhythm.

Analytical assessment of optimum magnet pole-arc for PMSM under influence of different magnetization patterns

Permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) are popular in both industrial and domestic applications because of its high efficiency, power density, and reliability as compared with the conventional types of electrical machines. Generally, the analytical models and their field solutions are preferable to provide an accurate insight of the PMSM performances, instead of using the finite element models, because the former takes a considerably shorter computational time. PMSM design could have different properties of either slotted or slotless, or varieties of magnet placement on the rotor. By focusing on semi-closed surface-mounted PMSMs, the 2D analytical subdomain model in [1] demonstrates an accurate prediction of the magnetic fields that can facilitate the evaluation of the global quantities of PMSMs, such as cogging torque (Tcog), back-EMF, and total harmonic distortion (THDv). Previously, researchers investigated the influences of the machine performance by a single factor, e.g., the variation of Tcog during changes of magnet pole-arc (αP) [2, 3], or slot-opening [2, 3]. These investigations normally considered two types of magnetization patterns, i.e., parallel (PaM) and radial magnetization (RM). Therefore, the motivation of our work hinges on predicting the optimum value of αP in designing a surface-mounted PMSM under influence of four different magnetization patterns, using the analytical subdomain model.

In-situ synthesis of titanium carbides in iron alloys using plasma transferred arc welding

The synthesis of Fe-TiC metal matrix composite during metal deposition with laser and arc welding techniques is of technical and economic interest for hard surfacing of engineering components. Recent studies linked the resistance to abrasive wear with the size and morphology of TiC precipitates, which are strongly dependent on the deposition conditions and, more importantly, on the alloy chemistry. In this study, the effect of silicon and manganese on the TiC precipitates was explored and different processing conditions were assessed. The characterisation included optical and scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and microhardness testing. The results indicate that silicon and manganese can have a significant effect on TiC size and morphology. Therefore, the composition of the matrix alloy offers an effective pathway to modify the microstructure of in-situ precipitated Fe-TiC metal matrix composites. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

In situ synthesis of TiC-Fe composite overlays from low cost TiO 2 precursors using plasma transferred Arc deposition

A direct conversion of TiO2 into TiC during plasma transferred arc deposition is a cheap and novel approach to produce wear resistant coatings. The present study explored the use of a low cost titanium ore as precursor for titanium carbide in metal matrix composite overlays. The deposited layers were characterized using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction and microhardness testing. A carbothermic reduction of the titanium oxides took place during the deposition of the coating by plasma transferred arc. The overlays produced in this way consisted of fine titanium carbides evenly dispersed in an iron matrix. The opportunities and limitations of this approach are discussed.

Engaging the ‘maximal’ intentions of the citizenship curriculum: one teacher’s story

Exploring how the transformative intentions within the mandated citizenship curriculum framework for English schools demand a particular kind of citizenship teacher – one who ‘acts against the grain’ of the inequities and injustices of the social world – this paper presents Mr C's story. Mr C is a secondary teacher at an Upper School located north of London. The paper considers the significance of his philosophies and knowledge in enabling practice aimed at developing students' socially inclusive but critical understandings of diversity and difference. Mr C's well‐defined personal philosophies about justice and the ‘common good’ and his capacity to translate these philosophies into practice are presented as central to mobilising the transformative or ‘maximal’ intentions of the citizenship curriculum. In highlighting the complexities and sophistication in Mr C's approach, however, the issues presented in this paper further strengthen the critique regarding the curriculum's depoliticised approach. While Mr C draws on the curriculum as a political device to support equity goals, it cannot be assumed that citizenship teachers more generally will have the requisite philosophies and knowledge necessary to do so.