Prediction of Martensite Start Temperature for Lightweight Fe-Mn-Al-C Steels

A tailor-made thermodynamic database of the Fe-Mn-Al-C system was developed using the CALPHAD approach. The database enables predicting phase equilibria and thereby assessing the resulting microstructures of Fe-Mn-Al-C alloys. Available information on the martensite start (M_s) temperature was reviewed. By employing the M_s property model in the Thermo-Calc software together with the new thermodynamic database and experimental M_s temperatures, a set of model parameters for the Fe-Mn-Al-C system in the M_s model was optimised. Employing the newly evaluated parameters, the calculated M_s temperatures of the alloys in the Fe-Mn-Al-C system were compared with the available measured M_s temperatures. Predictions of M_s temperatures were performed for the alloys, Fe-10, 15 and 20 wt.% Mn-xAl-yC. The predictability of the M_s model can be further validated when new experimental M_s temperatures of the Fe-Mn-Al-C system are available.     

“建构”的砖石砌体——对砖石砌块叠砌构筑方式的分析

本文在建构语境中对最为传统的砖石构成叠砌的因素进行分析,总结各因素对叠砌的表现力的影响,并通过相关实例分析砖石砌块叠砌构筑方式在当代表现的新的特点。     

Direct molecular analysis of whole-body animal tissue sections by imaging MALDI mass spectrometry

Imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) that utilizes matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) technology can provide a molecular ex vivo view of resected organs or whole-body sections from an animal, making possible the label-free tracking of both endogenous and exogenous compounds with spatial resolution and molecular specificity. Drug distribution and, for the first time, individual metabolite distributions within whole-body tissue sections can be detected simultaneously at various time points following drug administration. IMS analysis of tissues from 8 mg/kg olanzapine dosed rats revealed temporal distribution of the drug and metabolites that correlate to previous quantitative whole-body autoradiography studies. Whole-body MALDI IMS is further extended to detecting proteins from organs present in a whole-body sagittal tissue section. This technology will significantly help advance the analysis of novel therapeutics and may provide deeper insight into therapeutic and toxicological processes, revealing at the molecular level the cause of efficacy or side effects often associated with drug administration.     

Biosensor-based determination of folic acid in fortified food

A newly developed method for the quantification of folic acid in fortified food is presented. An immunoaffinity-based optical biosensor was used to determine folic acid concentration levels in milk powder, infant formula and cereal samples. Accuracy of the method (88–101%) was demonstrated with the analysis of five reference samples. A collaborative precision study, where ten participants at four different laboratories analysed a set of ten samples, resulted in repeatability relative standard deviations of 2–8% and reproducibility relative standard deviations of 4–10%.     

Clustered sampling improves random subspace brain mapping

Intuitive and efficient, the random subspace ensemble approach provides an appealing solution to the problem of the vast dimensionality of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data for maximal-accuracy brain state decoding. Recently, efforts to generate biologically plausible and interpretable maps of brain regions which contribute information to the ensemble decoding task have been made and two approaches have been introduced: globally multivariate random subsampling and locally multivariate Monte Carlo mapping. Both types of maps reflect voxel-wise decoding accuracies averaged across repeatedly randomly sampled voxel subsets, highlighting voxels which consistently participate in high-classification subsets. We compare the mapping sensitivities of the approaches on realistic simulated data containing both locally and globally multivariate information and demonstrate that utilizing the inherent volumetric nature of fMRI through clustered Monte Carlo mapping yields dramatically improved performances in terms of voxel detection sensitivity and efficiency. These results suggest that, unless a priori information specifically dictates a global search, variants of clustered sampling should be the priority for random subspace brain mapping.     

A Bifunctional Photo-Assisted Li–O2 Battery Based on a Hierarchical Heterostructured Cathode

Photo-assisted charging is considered an effective approach to reducing the overpotential in lithium–oxygen (Li–O₂) batteries. However, the utilization of photoenergy during the discharge process in a Li–O₂ system has been rarely reported, and the functional mechanism of such a process remains unclear. Herein, a novel bifunctional photo-assisted Li–O₂ system is established by employing a hierarchical TiO₂–Fe₂O₃ heterojunction, in which the photo-generated electrons and holes play key roles in reducing the overpotential in the discharging and charging processes, respectively. Moreover, the morphology of the discharge product (Li₂O₂) can be modified via the dense surface electrons of the cathode under illumination, resulting in promoted decomposition kinetics of Li₂O₂ during the charging progress. Accordingly, the output and input energies of the battery can be tuned by illumination, giving an ultralow overpotential of 0.19 V between the charge and discharge plateaus with excellent cyclic stability (retaining a round-trip efficiency of ≈86% after 100 cycles). The investigation of the bifunctional photo-assisted process presented here provides significant insight into the mechanism of the photo-assisted Li–O₂ battery and addresses the overpotential bottleneck in this system.     

Commercial spread optimization using experimental design and sensory data

The cost and quality of food products are issues that concern both the consumer and producer. In this research, the process used for the production of a commercial spread was subjected to a statistical experimental design for the purpose of reducing the cost of production while maintaining or improving the sensory quality. Three factors—the amount of oil added (x ₁), the speed of puddling (x ₂), and the temperature treatment (A or B; x ₃)—were varied according to a full-factorial design at two levels. The experiments were performed over 2 d, and the factorial design was complemented with three replicates for temperature treatments A and B, which were performed on different days. The products were evaluated with both sensory and physicochemical measurements. Special attention was paid to the hardness of the product since it was permissible to reduce it slightly. In contrast, sensory quality aspects of the product including butter-aroma and off-flavor, as well as other quality properties such as spreadability, shine, and meltability, had to be maintained at the present level or improved. Statistical evaluation of the data showed that it was possible to add high amounts of oil (x ₁) without impairing the sensory quality of the product and, hence, reduce the cost of production. The hardness of the product was also slightly reduced when using the high level of oil. In maintaining other sensory qualities such as shine and spreadability at the present levels, the choice of temperature treatment (x ₃) was important.     

Designing Networks that Enforce Information Security Policies

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses potential security issues in business process outsourcing environment arising due to lack of cyber legislation. A set of solutions based on existing cyber laws in developed nations is discussed, suggesting the need for implementation of cyber laws in Kenya and other developing nations wishing to take part in the business process outsourcing industry.