Accurate orientation relationship between ferrite and austenite in low carbon martensite and granular bainite

Convergent beam Kikuchi diffraction was used to accurately determine the orientation relationships (ORs) between austenite and martensite, and between austenite and granular bainite in two Fe-Ni-Mn-C alloys. Both martensite and granular bainite have the same crystallographic characteristics with the OR: (111)(A)parallel to(101)(F), [1 (1) over bar0](A) 2.5degrees +/- 2degrees from [1 (1) over bar(1) over bar](B).

Relationship between stress-induced martensitic transformation and impact toughness in low carbon austenitic steels

The effect of test temperature, which controls the stability of austenite, on the impact toughness of a low carbon Fe-Ni-Mn-C austenitic steel and 304 stainless steel, has been investigated. Under impact conditions, stress-induced martensitic transformation occurred, in a region near the fracture surface, at test temperatures below 80degreesC for the Fe-Ni-Mn-C steel and below -25degreesC for 304 stainless steel. The former shows significant transformation toughening and the highest impact toughness was obtained at 10degreesC, which corresponds to the maximum amount of martensite formed by stress-induced transformation above the Ms temperature. The stress-induced martensitic transformation contributes negatively to the impact toughness in the 304 stainless steel. Increasing the amount of stress-induced transformation to martensite, lowered the impact toughness. The experimental results can be well explained by the Antolovich theory through the analysis of metallography and fractography. The different effect of stress-induced transformation on the impact toughness in Fe-Ni-Mn-C steel and 304 stainless steel has been further understood by applying the crystallographic model for stress-induced martensitic transformation to these two steels. (C) 2002 Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Combined physiotherapy and education is efficacious for chronic low back pain

Manual therapy, exercise and education target distinct aspects of chronic low back pain and probably have distinct effects, This study aimed to determine the efficacy of a combined physiotherapy treatment that comprised all of these strategies. By concealed randomisation, 57 chronic low back pain patients were allocated to either the four-week physiotherapy program or management as directed by their general practitioners, The dependent variables of interest were pain and disability. Assessors were blind to treatment group. Outcome data from 49 subjects (86%) showed a significant treatment effect. The physiotherapy program reduced pain and disability by a mean of 1.5/10 points on a numerical rating scale (95% CI 0.7 to 2.3) and 3.9 points on the 18-point Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (95% CI 2 to 5.8), respectively. The number needed to treat in order to gain a clinically meaningful change was 3 (95% CI 3 to 8) for pain, and 2 (95% CI 2 to 5) for disability. A treatment effect was maintained at one-year follow-up. The findings support the efficacy of combined physiotherapy treatment in producing symptomatic and functional change in moderately disabled chronic low back pain patients.

Being attuned to intergroup differences in mergers: The role of aligned leaders for low-status groups

The present research focused on responses of low-status group members to a merger with a high-status group. A study was conducted (N = 153) in which the alignment of the leader for the merged group (ingroup vs. outgroup) and leader behavior (equality, outgroup favoritism, ingroup favoritism, complementarity) were manipulated. The authors predicted that the leader, by his or her behavior, would play an important role in defining the new relationship between premerger groups. Overall, low-status ingroup leaders were evaluated more positively than high-status outgroup leaders. Ingroup leaders were evaluated more favorably and were more likely to engender a common identity in the merged group than were outgroup leaders when leaders behaved in an ingroup-favoring or complementary fashion. In contrast, evaluations of ingroup and outgroup leaders did not differ when the leader stressed equality or was outgroup favoring. The findings demonstrate the important role leaders can play in accentuating or de-emphasizing premerger status differences.

Application of a simplified method based on regular regime approach to determine the effective moisture diffusivity of mixture of low molecular weight sugars and maltodextrin during desorption

The binary diffusivities of water in low molecular weight sugars; fructose, sucrose and a high molecular weight carbohydrate; maltodextrin (DE 11) and the effective diffusivities of water in mixtures of these sugars (sucrose, glucose, fructose) and maltodextrin (DE 11) were determined using a simplified procedure based on the Regular Regime Approach. The effective diffusivity of these mixtures exhibited both the concentration and molecular weight dependence. Surface stickiness was observed in all samples during desorption, with fructose exhibiting the highest and maltodextrin the lowest. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alternative technologies for producing sterile low acid food products

Four emerging high-energy non-thermal technologies may replace or augment heating for producing sterile low-acid food products. High pressure, high-voltage pulsed electric field, high-energy ultrasound and high-intensity pulsed light are all capable of reducing bacterial spore counts under certain conditions. However, only non-continuous high pressure treatments, at temperatures higher than ambient, are currently capable of completely inactivating spores and producing sterile food products. The first three technologies also reduce the resistance of spores to inactivation by heat.

An evaluation of tobacco brief intervention training in three Indigenous health care settings in north Queensland

Objective: To evaluate the pilot phase of a tobacco brief intervention program in three Indigenous health care settings in rural and remote north Queensland. Methods: A combination of in-depth interviews with health staff and managers and focus groups with health staff and consumers. Results: The tobacco brief intervention initiative resulted in changes in clinical practice among health care workers in all three sites. Although health workers had reported routinely raising the issue of smoking in a variety of settings prior to the intervention, the training provided them with an additional opportunity to become more aware of new approaches to smoking cessation. Indigenous health workers in particular reported that their own attempts to give up smoking following the training had given them confidence and empathy in offering smoking cessation advice. However, the study found no evidence that anybody had actually given up smoking at six months following the intervention. Integration of brief intervention into routine clinical practice was constrained by organisational, interpersonal and other factors in the broader socio-environmental context. Conclusions/implications: While modest health gains may be possible through brief intervention, the potential effectiveness in Indigenous settings will be limited in the absence of broader strategies aimed at tackling community-identified health priorities such as alcohol misuse, violence, employment and education. Tobacco and other forms of lifestyle brief. intervention need to be part of multi-level health strategies. Training in tobacco brief intervention should address both the Indigenous context and the needs of Indigenous health care workers.

Sustained high levels of foliar herbivory of the mangrove Rhizophora stylosa by a moth larva Doratifera stenosa (Limacodidae) in north-eastern Australia

The moth larva, Doratifera stenosa (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae), was observed feeding voraciously in great numbers on mature leaves of Rhizophora stylosa in mangroves at Port Curtis in Central Queensland, NE Australia. This behaviour was considered unusual since mangroves, and the Rhizophora species in particular, reportedly harbour few herbivores and have relatively low levels of herbivory, less than 10%. During a two year period (1996-1998), larvae were observed consuming around 30-40% of leaves in the canopy each year, and the mangroves appeared able to sustain these high levels of herbivory. The impact on trees was assessed in conjunction with a study of the herbivore, its behaviour and life history, in an attempt to explain the occurrence. Larvae were 1-2 cm in length, bright green and gregarious, with numerous small, stinging hairs along their upper bodies. Feeding was in small cohort groups of 5-70 individuals that broke up immediately prior to each moult after which they regrouped in much larger numbers of mixed cohorts to form single-file processions across branches, stems and prop roots. In this way, they moved to neighbouring trees with less affected foliage. One of the outstanding characteristics of this herbivore was its ability to desist from killing host trees although it appeared quite capable of doing so had it remained on individual trees. By moving from tree to tree, the herbivore was able to heavily crop Rhizophora foliage in an apparently sustainable manner. These findings demonstrate the role and importance of foliar herbivory in severely affected forests and how such instances best not be ignored or treated as curiosities in future assessments of herbivory and forest turnover in mangrove ecosystems.

Repeated three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging of atherosclerosis development in innominate arteries of low-density lipoprotein receptor-knockout mice

Background-In vivo methods to evaluate the size and composition of atherosclerotic lesions in animal models of atherosclerosis would assist in the testing of antiatherosclerotic drugs. We have developed an MRI method of detecting atherosclerotic plaque in the major vessels at the base of the heart in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-knockout (LDLR-/-) mice on a high-fat diet. Methods and Results-Three-dimensional fast spin-echo magnetic resonance images were acquired at 7 T by use of cardiac and respiratory triggering, with approximate to140-mum isotropic resolution, over 30 minutes. Comparison of normal and fat-suppressed images from female LDLR-/- mice I week before and 8 and 12 weeks after the transfer to a high-fat diet allowed visualization and quantification of plaque development in the innominate artery in vivo. Plaque mean cross-sectional area was significantly greater at week 12 in the LDLR-/- mice (0.14+/-0.086 mm(2) [mean+/-SD]) than in wild-type control mice on a normal diet (0.017+/-0.031 mm(2), p