Hot corrosion ofα-SiC ceramics by V2O5 melt

The corrosion behaviour of-SiC in V₂O₅ melt has been investigated at elevated temperatures. The corrosion products on the surface of the specimen are removed using HF. The morphologies are also examined. From the observations of bubble formation in the scale and the temperature dependence of the corrosion rate, a kinetic mechanism is proposed. Based on the consistency of the plotted data with the proposed equation and high values of surface reaction rate constant, a diffusion controlling process has been developed.     

Measurement of neutron emission from Ti and Pd in pressurized D2 gas and D2O electrolysis cells

Experiments using high-efficiency neutron detectors have detected neutron emission from various forms of Pd and Ti metal in pressurized D₂ gas cells and D₂O electrolysis cells. Four independent neutron detectors based on³He gas tubes were used. Both random neutrons (0.05–0.2 n/s) and time-correlated neutron bursts (10–280 n) of 100-s duration were measured using time-correlation counting techniques. The majority of the neutron burst events occurred at –30°C as the samples were warming up from the liquid nitrogen temperature.     

电位滴定法研究~(99)Tc-HMDP和~(99)Tc-HEDP中Tc的氧化态

~(99)Tc-HMDP和~(99)Tc-HEDP溶液是在相应的螫合剂存在下,用过量SnCl_2还原~(99)TcO_4-制得。用标准I_2液对SnCl_2进行了剩余量电位滴定,确定了在pH～3的介质中,~(99)Tc-HMDP和~(99)Tc-HE-DP中~(99)Tc的氧化态均为+4。全部实验在N_2气流中进行。~(99)Tc-HMDP和~(99)Tc-HEDP的紫外光谱表明:在用I_2滴定的过程中,~(99)Tc只处于一种氧化态+4;将它们放置在空气中,一小时后仍较稳定。     

Designing DSS (decision support systems) and EIS (executive information systems) applications to fit executive user needs

The effectiveness of executive information systems and decision support rests on the level of understanding, commitment and use that top management devotes to the system. The author describes new technologies that help promote executive commitment to DSS/EIS.     

Color quantitation through image processing in dermatology

Classical color models and their applications to computer vision are reviewed. The performances of color quantitation from digitized images are compared with those derived from a chromameter. The color quantitation obtained from either digitized color slides or directly digitized images is proved to be more efficient than the conventional visual assessment of observers. A methodology is proposed for determining the specific color indices which are needed in dermatology. An application of this methodology is developed for designing a blanching quantitation index in order to replace the visual assessment during McKenzie tests.     

Effect of silver addition on superconductivity in the Bi1.6Pb0.4Sr1.6Ca2Cu3O10−y system

Silver/superconductor composites containing 0 to 80 vol% silver have been prepared and their properties determined. Optimum heat treatment at sintering temperatures ( 800° C) under low oxygen pressures produces material with high critical current density and improves physical properties. Magnetic susceptibility measurements have been found to be consistent with resistivity results. In order to retain a single high-T _c phase with increasing silver content, decreased oxygen partial pressures are required. Using the normal-state resistivity of these composites, a percolation threshold at a silver volume fraction of 43% was observed, while zero resistivity measurements show that a continuous superconducting network can be obtained with up to 80 vol% silver. The critical current density of 21 vol% silver-doped samples was found to be 1520 A cm^–2 at 77.3 K, compared to 260 A cm^–2 for an undoped sample.     

Training for an agricultural discrimination task

Skeleton weed, centaurea juncea, is a declared weed in Western Australia because it competes with grain crops for nutrients and moisture. When it is found during harvesting, mechanised teams search and eradicate it. In an earlier report of field trials (Hartley et al, 1989) it was reported that search teams' detection rate was poor and since search teams had usually never seen skeleton weeds, visual discrimination learning was to be expected and observed during searches. The present study investigated the nature of this discrimination learning in a laboratory by developing a training programme of colour photographic slides of weeds in stubble. Subjects receiving specific training with feedback on their performance compared with those receiving pseudo-training showed a significant improvement in detections. Subsequently the benefit of the programme was validated in a field trial.     

HAR-sEMG: A Dataset for Human Activity Recognition on Lower-Limb sEMG

Knowledge and Information Systems - In the past decade, human activity recognition (HAR) has grown in popularity due to its applications in security and entertainment. As recent years have...     

Authority updating: An expert authority evaluation algorithm considering post‐evaluation and power indices in social networks

In group assessment, the focus is on finding high‐authority experts to improve the reliability of assessment results. In this study, we propose an authority updating algorithm while considering the power and judgement reliability of an expert on the basis of social networks and post‐evaluations. A network power index is established and used to reflect the power of an expert while considering social networks. The measurement of the judgement reliability of an expert considers the post‐evaluation of the objects selected by experts, thereby more scientifically reflecting the reliability of experts. The analysis shows the following: although the social‐network structure influences the authority of experts, the influence weakens when the assessment group is a highly or even fully connected group; the network effect may increase the authority of some experts and reduce that of others, and it will weaken as the network connectivity increases; moreover, the judgement reliability and authority of an expert while considering post‐evaluation can encourage him/her to make fair assessments and strive to reduce his/her motivation and cognitive biases.     

Scaling effects on flow hydrodynamics of confined microdroplets induced by Rayleigh surface acoustic wave

This paper reports an experimental and numerical investigation on the scaling effects in the flow hydrodynamics for confined microdroplets induced by a surface acoustic wave (SAW). The characteristic parameters of the flow hydrodynamics were studied as a function of the separation height, H, between the LiNbO₃ substrate and a top glass plate, for various droplets volumes and radio-frequency powers. The ratio of the gap height to attenuation length of the SAW, H/l _SAW, is shown to be an important parameter affecting the streaming flow induced in this confined regime. The reported numerical and experimental results are in good agreement over the range examined in this study and demonstrate that, at a lower gap heights of H?≤?100?μm, a significant decrease in streaming velocity or Reynolds number is induced, with the velocity approaching zero when the gap height is decreased to ~50?μm. An increase in the gap height results in an increased streaming velocity; however, if the gap height exceeds 70?% of the SAW attenuation length, any further increase in the gap height induces a drop in the streaming velocity.