The plastic instability behaviour of laser-textured steel sheet

As the production of a new technique that can offer both good formability and high image clarity for texturing metal sheet, laser-textured sheet has attracted the attention of many manufacturers and users. Among the many subjects to be studied, plastic instability behaviour of the laser-textured sheet is one of most important to understand its ability in extending material ductility and to appropriately control this technique. Experimental investigations are carried out in this paper to study the macroscopic behaviour and microstructural mechanism of the laser-textured sheet, and comparison is made with the normal sheet taken from the same coil of metal sheet. It is demonstrated that, the difference in the behaviour of plastic instability obviously shows tendency to delay strain localization and the onset of thickness necking. Shear banding and internal void damage are spread to a much wider region in the sheet being laser-textured. The prestrained microcraters enforced on the surface of the textured sheet act as hardening spots, which are likely to share out deformation and inhibit the increasing rate of voiding, and eventually favouring the ductility of the material used.

Does the Term Spread play a role in the FED's reaction function? An Empirical Investigation

Using US data for the period 1967:5-2002:4, this paper empirically investigates the performance of a Fed’s reaction function (FRF) that (i) allows for the presence of switching regimes, (ii) considers the long-short term spread in addition to the typical variables, (iii) uses an alternative monthly indicator of general economic activity suggested by Stock and Watson (1999), and (iv) considers interest rate smoothing. The estimation results show the existence of three switching regimes, two characterized by low volatility and the remaining regime by high volatility. Moreover, the scale of the responses of the Federal funds rate to movements in the rate of inflation and the economic activity index depends on the regime. The estimation results also show robust empirical evidence that the importance of the term spread in the FRF has increased over the sample period and the FRF has been more stable during the term of office of Chairman Greenspan than in the pre-Greenspan period.

光纤Bragg光栅液氦环境下温度传感特性的研究

进行了液氦温度（4．2K）到室温（298K）温区内光纤Bragg光栅（FHG）温度传感性能的实验研究。重点分析了液氦温度（4．2K）到液氮温度（77K）FBG的温度传感特性。实验表明：FHG传感特性与温度相关。在50K以下，温度响应基本没有变化；50K-77K，波长偏移量随温度上升变化不规律；150K-298K传感特性近似成线性。对比裸光栅与涂敷光栅，涂敷光栅的温度灵敏度远大于裸光栅的温度灵敏度。选用外加热膨胀系数大的聚合物封装，可以显著提高FHG的温敏系数和线性度。

光纤Bragg光栅在77K环境下的温度传感性能研究

进行了从液氮温度(77 K)到室温(286 K)的光纤Bragg光栅(FBG)温度传感性能的实验研究。结果表明,FBG的温敏系数与温度相关。低于210 K,FBG的温敏系数变小,这将限制低温环境下FBG作为温度传感器的使用。通过在裸FBG外部涂敷热膨胀系数为61×10-6的丙烯酸脂材料,可以显著提高FBG的温敏系数和线性度。80 K时,有丙烯酸脂包层材料的FBG温敏系数为0.01526 nm/K,而同温度条件下裸FBG的温敏系数仅为0.00449 nm/K。

The role of the term spread in an augmented Taylor rule: An empirical investigation

Using US data for the period 1967:5-2002:4, this paper empirically investigates the performance of an augmented version of the Taylor rule (ATR) that (i) allows for the presence of switching regimes, (ii) considers the long-short term spread in addition to the typical variables, (iii) uses an alternative monthly indicator of general economic activity suggested by Stock and Watson (1999), and (iv) considers interest rate smoothing. The estimation results show the existence of switching regimes, one characterized by low volatility and the other by high volatility. Moreover, the scale of the responses of the Federal funds rate to movements in the term spread, inflation and the economic activity index depend on the regime. The estimation results also show robust empirical evidence that the ATR has been more stable during the term of office of Chairman Greenspan than in the pre-Greenspan period. However, a closer look at the Greenspan period shows the existence of two alternative regimes and that the response of the Fed funds rate to inflation has not been significant during this period once the term spread is considered.

液氮温度光纤Bragg光栅的应变传感特性

对光纤Bragg光栅（FBG）液氮（77 K）下的应变传感技术及应变特性进行了研究.实验和分析表明：常温下FBG反射谱中的单个中心峰在低温下会劈裂为多峰,它产生于光纤、粘贴胶和金属基底热膨胀系数间的差异引起的强烈非均匀热弹性应变,使常温下均匀的光栅变啁啾化.建立了多种技术手段,成功消除了低温多峰现象,并测得了FBG低温和常温下的应变传感特性.实验结果表明：FBG的应变灵敏系数与温度无关.