Crystal structures and textures of hot forged Ni48Mn30Ga22 alloy investigated by neutron diffraction technique

A ferromagnetic shape memory alloy of Ni48Mn30Ga22 prepared by induction melting was successfully hot forged. Strong textures and a large anisotropy of in plane plastic flow were developed during the hot forging process. The crystal structures, both in austenitic and martensitic states, were investigated by means of neutron powder diffraction technique. The result suggests that Ni48Mn30Ga22 has a cubic L21 Heusler structure at room temperature, the same as that in the stoichiometric Ni2MnGa. When cooled to 243 K, the Ni48Mn30Ga22 alloy changes into a seven layered orthorhombic martensitic structure. No substantial change of the neutron diffraction pattern was observed upon further cooling to 19 K, indicating that there is no intermartensitic transformation in the investigated alloy, which is different from the transformation processes in the Ni–Mn–Ga alloys with higher martensitic transformation temperatures.

Change implementers’ resistance : considering power and resistance in IT implementation projects

Resistance is normally characterized as a set of behaviours located in and belonging to change recipients. Such behaviours are seen to thwart the legitimate aims of both change strategists and the change agents who implement systems and the associated organisational change on the strategists' behalf. However, results from our case study research indicate that resistance can be a property not only of change recipients’ behaviour, but also of change agents and change strategists. The resistance behaviours identified included the failure to follow a prescribed corporate method and template, a refusal to help or listen, a refusal to fix known problems, the display of an adversarial, confrontational, and/or condescending attitude, subversiveness, a poor work ethic, and a refusal to meet requests. This paper argues for a revised conceptualization of resistance as a behaviour that can be demonstrated by any IT project stakeholders, that cannot be divorced from considerations of power in the IT project context.

Use of circle-segments as a data visualization technique for feature selection in pattern classification

One of the issues associated with pattern classification using data based machine learning systems is the “curse of dimensionality”. In this paper, the circle-segments method is proposed as a feature selection method to identify important input features before the entire data set is provided for learning with machine learning systems. Specifically, four machine learning systems are deployed for classification, viz. Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Fuzzy ARTMAP (FAM), and k-Nearest Neighbour (kNN). The integration between the circle-segments method and the machine learning systems has been applied to two case studies comprising one benchmark and one real data sets. Overall, the results after feature selection using the circle segments method demonstrate improvements in performance even with more than 50% of the input features eliminated from the original data sets.

Indigenous knowledge and climate change : the Wathaurong and Gadubanud narrative for the Great Ocean Road region

For more than forty thousand years Aboriginal people of Australia have been confronted with major climate, ecological and geological changes as well as annual seasonal variations. Many of these changes have been captured in the cultural traditions of Maar (the people) of the south-west Victorian coast and the knowledge has been transferred from generation to generation through Dreaming stories. Many Dreaming stories recount the forming of the coastal landscape and Sea Country. Weather patterns and climate change were gauged by the occurrence of natural events such as the tidal changes, sea level rise, landscape changes, behaviour of animals, and the availability of food sources. Can this ancient knowledge provide answers for adaptation and resilience to a rapid changing climate? Drawing upon recent literature on coastal climate change in the Great Ocean Road Region (GORCC, 2012), literature review of indigenous environmental planning (Kooyang Sea Country Plan, 2004), and investigation of settlement patterns of the Wathaurong and Gadubanud people, this paper reviews the changes in the landscape due to climate change and explores traditional knowledge as input to a potential design based adaptation model for coastal settlements of the Great Ocean Road Region.

Travelling through a warming world: climate change and migratory species

Long-distance migrations are among the wonders of the natural world, but this multi-taxon review shows that the characteristics of species that undertake such movements appear to make them particularly vulnerable to detrimental impacts of climate change. Migrants are key components of biological systems in high latitude regions, where the speed and magnitude of climate change impacts are greatest. They also rely on highly productive seasonal habitats, including wetlands and ocean upwellings that, with climate change, may become less food-rich and predictable in space and time. While migrants are adapted to adjust their behaviour with annual changes in the weather, the decoupling of climatic variables between geographically separate breeding and non-breeding grounds is beginning to result in mistimed migration. Furthermore, human land-use and activity patterns will constrain the ability of many species to modify their migratory routes and may increase the stress induced by climate change. Adapting conservation strategies for migrants in the light of climate change will require substantial shifts in site designation policies, flexibility of management strategies and the integration of forward planning for both people and wildlife. While adaptation to changes may be feasible for some terrestrial systems, wildlife in the marine ecosystem may be more dependent on the degree of climate change mitigation that is achievable.

The behaviour of a hawksbill turtle data-logged during the passage of hurricane Georges through the Caribbean

Recent severe hurricanes in the Caribbean and south-east United States have had devastating socio-economic effects, and there is a pressing need to learn how animals are impacted by such events. We serendipitously deployed a multi-channel data logger onto a hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) during the breeding season in 1998 and logged various aspects of her behaviour before, during and after passage of hurricane Georges. As Georges passed by, the turtle made shorter dives, became more active and spent less time at the surface between dives compared with its baseline, non-storm activity. However, after passage of the hurricane the turtle quickly resumed its pre-hurricane behaviour and nested successfully a few days later. These results show that, in this case, the hurricane had a minor impact on the submerged animal presumably because of the dampening effect of depth on high winds over water.

Intimacy at work: Playback theatre and corporate cultural change in Mercedes Benz, Brazil

On the back of a faltering economic year in 2007 and a major merger of motor car and truck dealerships, international motor car giant Mercedes Benz adopted a radical approach to re-aligning the company vision for their Brazilian business. Adopting a people-centred approach to change, they integrated participatory theatre and personal stories into a nationwide cultural development programme producing twelve performances in twelve cities. The central content of the performances came from employees who told personal stories that were then performed onstage. Each event acted as a unique expression of workplace values that would be led by employee attitudes and behaviour. Through the dialogic process, the company established a new code of conduct for customer care for the next phase of company activity. This article critiques various aspects of the programme and considers the value and limitations in the person-centred approach facilitated through theatre.

A meta-analysis of the effects of measuring theory of planned behaviour constructs on behaviour within prospective studies

Measurement reactivity effects, such as the mere measurement effect, have been proposed as a reason for behavioural changes in a number of theory of planned behaviour intervention studies. However, it is unclear whether such changes are the result of the mere measurement effect or of other artefacts of intervention study design. The aim of this study is to determine the size and direction of changes in health behaviours from baseline to follow-up in prospective studies using the theory of planned behaviour. Electronic databases were searched for the theory of planned behaviour studies which measured health behaviours at two or more time points. Change in behaviour was calculated for all studies. Sixty-six studies were included. Mean effect sizes across all studies were small and negative (d = -.03). Effect size was moderated by behaviour, behaviour type and follow-up length. Subgroup analyses showed significant decreases in socially undesirable behaviour (d = -.28), binge drinking (d = -.17), risk driving (d = -.20), sugar snack consumption (d = -.43) and sun-protective behaviour (d = -.18). Measurement of intention at baseline resulted in significant decreases in undesirable behaviour. Changes in undesirable behaviours reported in other studies may be the result of the mere measurement effect.

Evaluating the corrosion behaviour of magnesium alloy in simulated biological fluid by using SECM to detect hydrogen evolution

Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) in surface generation/tip collection mode is investigated as an assessment tool for studying the corrosion behaviour of magnesium in simulated biological fluid. The technique provides a local map of hydrogen (H2) evolution which alone can be used as a direct measure of corrosion. The H2 generated during corrosion of magnesium is oxidized at the probe(i.e. a Pt ultra micro-electrode);with the magnitude of the current generated due to oxidation being indicative of the intensity of H2 evolution at a local scale on the magnesium surface. This method was calibrated using a cathodically polarized Pt disk to simulate H2 evolution in a controlled condition on a homogeneous surface. Potential interference from dissolving Mg or high local pH was also investigated. The technique was implemented for studying H2 evolution at the surface of AZ31 as a model Mg alloy.SECM results combined with SEM-EDX and profilometry data revealed that local domains of higher H2 evolution on the surface of AZ31 are in close proximityof the observed pitting sites.

Deformation behaviour of a commercial pure titanium alloy during hot compression testing

The flow curve behaviour and microstructure evolution of commercially pure titanium (CP-Ti) through uniaxial hot compression was investigated at 850 °C and a strain rate of 0.1/s. Electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) was employed to characterize the microstructure and crystallographic texture development for different thermomechanical conditions. The stress-strain curves of CP-Ti alloy under hot compression displayed a typical flow behaviour of metals undergoing dynamic recrystallization (DRX), which resulted in grain refinement. The critical strain for the onset of DRX was 0.13 using the double differentiation analysis technique. It was also revealed that the texture was markably altered during hot deformation. © (2014) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland.

Effect of temperature on mechanical behaviour of high manganese TWIP steel

The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of deformation temperature on the active deformation mechanisms in a 0.6C-18Mn-1.5Al (wt%) TWIP steel. The tensile testing was performed at different temperatures, ranging from ambient to 400°C at a constant strain rate of 10-3 S-1. The microstructure characterization was carried out using a scanning electron microscopy. The deformation temperature revealed a significant effect on the active deformation mechanisms (i.e. slip versus twinning), resulting in different microstructure evolution and mechanical properties. At the room temperature, the mechanical twinning was the dominant deformation mechanism, enhancing both the strength and ductility. Dynamic strain aging (DSA) effect was observed at different deformation temperatures, though it was more pronounced at higher temperatures. The volume fraction of deformation twins significantly reduced with an increase in the deformation temperature, deteriorating the mechanical behavior. There was a transition temperature (~300°C), above which the mechanical twinning was hardly observed in the microstructure even at fracture, resulting in low ductility and strength. The current observation can be explained through the change in the stacking fault energy with the deformation temperature. © (2014) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland.

Experimental studies and modelling of the deformation behaviour of multiple nanolayers

Microcompression tests were performed on monolithic Cu and Fe thin films and a Cu/Fe multilayer that had each individual layer of 200 nm thick, to understand the mechanical behaviour of multiple nanolayers. The micron-sized pillars were prepared by focused-ion beam (FIB) technique and compressed with a flat punch in a nanoindenter. The flow curves of the monolithic Cu and Fe thin films and Cu/Fe multilayer were extracted from the microcompression tests. The monolithic Cu thin film bulges in the top region of the pillar, while the Fe thin film cracks due to its columnar grain structure. For the Cu/Fe multilayer, the ductile Cu layers accommodate the majority of plastic deformation upon compression, while cracking in the Fe layers leads to the failure of the multilayer. Finite element models of microcompression tests were also developed to provide insights into the deformation behaviours of the multilayer and monolithic thin films. © 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Variation in body condition during the post-moult foraging trip of southern elephant seals and its consequences on diving behaviour

Mature female southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) come ashore only in October to breed and in January to moult, spending the rest of the year foraging at sea. Mature females may lose as much as 50% of their body mass, mostly in lipid stores, during the breeding season due to fasting and lactation. When departing to sea, post-breeding females are negatively buoyant, and the relative change in body condition (i.e. density) during the foraging trip has previously been assessed by monitoring the descent rate during drift dives. However, relatively few drift dives are performed, resulting in low resolution of the temporal reconstruction of body condition change. In this study, six post-breeding females were equipped with time-depth recorders and accelerometers to investigate whether changes in active swimming effort and speed could be used as an alternative method of monitoring density variations throughout the foraging trip. In addition, we assessed the consequences of density change on the swimming efforts of individuals while diving and investigated the effects on dive duration. Both descent swimming speed and ascent swimming effort were found to be strongly correlated to descent rate during drift dives, enabling the fine-scale monitoring of seal density change over the whole trip. Negatively buoyant seals minimized swimming effort during descents, gliding down at slower speeds, and reduced their ascent swimming effort to maintain a nearly constant swimming speed as their buoyancy increased. One per cent of seal density variation over time was found to induce a 20% variation in swimming effort during dives with direct consequences on dive duration.

Buying’ or ‘consumer’ behaviour decision models

'This is essential reading for social marketing practitioners, researchers and students. the book describes a comprehensive range of behavior change theories of relevance to social marketing and is complemented with illustrative case ...

Evaluating coverage changes in national parks using a hybrid change detection algorithm and remote sensing

Remote sensing is a useful tool for detecting change over time.We introduce a hybrid change-detection method for forest and protected-area vegetation and demonstrate its use with two satellite images of Golestan National Park in northern Iran (1998 and 2010). We report on the advantages and disadvantages of the hybrid method relative to the standard change-detection method. In the proposed hybrid algorithm, the change vector analysis technique was used to determine changes in vegetation. Following this, we used postclassification comparison to determine the nature of the changes observed and their accuracy and to evaluate the effects of different parameters on the performance of the proposed method. We determined 85% accuracy for the proposed hybrid change-detection method, thus demonstrating a method for discovering and assessing environmental threats to natural treasures. © 2014 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.