Nucleation Mechanism for Bainite

Based on the experimental results that solute-depleted zone was observed in Cu-28Zn-4AI (mass fraction) at 523 K, AG is calculated as a positive according to the thermodynamic criteria for the spinodal decomposition of a ternary systems. So, the solute-depleted zone cannot be formed by spinodal decomposition. Dislocation density required by the formation of solute-depleted zone is estimated greater than 7.89×109 cm-2, according to the segregation of solute atoms around dislocations, which is not consistent with the practical situation for the alloy at 523 K. Associated with the internal friction experimental fact that internal friction peaks appear within the incubation for bainitic transformation in Cu-Zn-AI alloy, the equilibrium temperature, TO, is evaluated as 433 K for solute-depleted Cu-25Zn-3.4AI, which is lower than the experimental temperature 523 K. Thus, nucleation by shear mechanism is impossible in this circumstance. Therefore, it is concluded that, like bainite in steels and Ag-Cd, bainite in     

Top-Seeded Melt-Growth of YBa2Cus3Ox Crystals for Neutron Diffraction Studies

We have grown cubic centimeter-size crystals of YBa₂Cu₃O _x suitable for neutron studies, by a top-seeded melt-growth technique. Growth conditions were optimized with an eye toward maximizing phase purity. It was found that the addition of 2% Y₂BaCuO₅ and 0.5% Pt (by mass) were required to prevent melt loss and to obtain the highest crystallinity. A neutron diffraction study on a mosaic of six such crystals found that the final Y₂BaCuO₅ concentration was 5%, while other impurity phases comprised less than 1% by volume. The oxygen content was set to x = 6.5, the crystals were detwinned, and then carefully annealed to give the well-ordered ortho-II phase. The neutron study determined that 70% of the mosaic's volume was in the majority orthorhomic domain. The neutron (006) and (110) rocking curve widths were ～1° per crystal and ～2.2° for the mosaic, and the oxygen chain correlation lengths were >100 Å in the a- and b-directions and ～50 Å in the c-direction.     

Augmenting Trees to Meet Biconnectivity and Diameter Constraints

Given a graph G=(V,E) and a positive integer D , we consider the problem of finding a minimum number of new edges E' such that the augmented graph G'=(V,E\cup E') is biconnected and has diameter no greater than D. In this note we show that this problem is NP-hard for all fixed D , by employing a reduction from the DOMINATING SET problem. We prove that the problem remains NP-hard even for forests and trees, but in this case we present approximation algorithms with worst-case bounds 3 (for even D ) and 6 (for odd D ). A closely related problem of finding a minimum number of edges such that the augmented graph has diameter no greater than D has been shown to be NP-hard by Schoone et al. [21] when D=3 , and by Li et al. [17] when D=2. Received April 19, 1999; revised June 5, 2001.     

Incremental transmission loss allocation under pool dispatch

Incremental transmission loss analysis has been used for decades, but recent interest in its application to loss allocation calls for new in-depth results. This paper demonstrates that, for incremental methods to be applied correctly in loss allocation, it is first necessary to specify the load distribution and loss supply strategies. Incremental loss allocation among bus power injections is shown to be arbitrary and, therefore, open to challenge as discriminatory. Loss allocation is possible among incremental loads and/or generators, but the proportion of the total losses assigned to either one is arbitrary. Unique, nonarbitrary incremental loss allocations are however possible among the "equivalent" incremental bilateral exchanges between generators and loads. From these basic components it is possible then to calculate the allocation among generators or loads in any specified proportion. The main results, although developed initially for small increments, are extended to large variations. Finally, a general incremental loss allocation algorithm is developed and tested     

Effects of solidification structure on fatigue crack initiation and fatigue strength in Al−Si−Mg cast alloys

Rotating-bending uniaxial fatigue tests and micro-fatigue crack initiation tests were carried out using a permanent mold cast (PMC) and semi-solid die cast (SDC) with Al−7%Si−0.35%Mg composition in order to examine the relationship between solidification structures and fatigue behaviors. The crack length was measured using a replication method. Fatigue strength was improved in SDC, which was almost consistent with the predicted fatigue strength using the size of Si particle cluster. Resistance to fatigue crack initiation and fatigue strength were improved in SDC owing to the finer Si cluster and to higher ultimate tensile strength. Fatigue crack in PMC was preferentially initiated at pores. For SDC, the fatigue crack was initiated at the Si particle/matrix interface, and then sucessively grew along eutectic cell boundaries.     

Advances in the management and control of optical Internet

Given the ever increasing demand for network bandwidth, and the phenomenal advances in optical wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) networking technologies, a major component of the next generation Internet will be an Internet protocol (IP)-based optical WDM network. As IP over WDM networking technologies mature, a number of important architectural, management and control issues have surfaced. These issues need to be addressed before a true next generation optical Internet can emerge. We enumerate some of the key architectural, management and control issues and discuss corresponding approaches and advances made toward addressing these issues. We first review the different IP/WDM networking architectural models and their tradeoffs. We outline and discuss several management and control issues and corresponding approaches related to the configuration, fault, and performance management of IP over dynamic WDM networks. We present an analysis and supporting simulation results demonstrating the potential benefits of dynamic IP over WDM networks. We then discuss the issues related to IP/WDM traffic engineering in more detail, and present the approach taken in the NGI SuperNet Network Control and Management Project funded by DARPA. In particular, we motivate and present an innovative integrated traffic-engineering framework for reconfigurable IP/WDM networks. It builds on the strength of multiprotocol label switching for fine-grain IP load balancing, and on the strength of reconfigurable WDM networking for reducing the IP network's weighted-hop-distance, and for expanding the bottleneck bandwidth     

Volatile Compounds of Raw Beef from 5 Local Spanish Cattle Breeds Stored Under Modified Atmosphere

Volatile compounds of raw beef from Asturiana de los Valles, Morucha, Parda Alpina, Pirenaica, and Retinta cattle breeds were studied. Steaks were packaged under 60% O₂, 30% CO₂, and 10% N₂, and 53 volatile compounds were tentatively identified by purge‐and‐trap extraction and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry after 0, 5, 10, and 15 d of chill storage. The degradation of beef quality with increasing storage time was evidenced by the increase in 2,3,3‐trimethylpentane, 2,2,5‐trimethylhexane, 3‐octene, 3‐methyl‐2‐heptene, 2‐octene, and 2‐propanone and by the decrease in dimethyl sulfide. Consequently, some of the volatile compounds, which are believed to be formed by thermal degradation of meat, might be formed during chill storage, and the rate of formation of some was dependent on the specific compound.     

Iterative multiuser joint decoding: unified framework andasymptotic analysis

We present a framework for iterative multiuser joint decoding of code-division multiple-access (CDMA) signals, based on the factor-graph representation and on the sum-product algorithm. In this framework, known parallel and serial, hard and soft interference cancellation algorithms are derived in a unified way. The asymptotic performance of these algorithms in the limit of large code block length can be rigorously analyzed by using density evolution. We show that, for random spreading in the large-system limit, density evolution is considerably simplified. Moreover, by making a Gaussian approximation of the decoder soft output, we show that the behavior of iterative multiuser joint decoding is approximately characterized by the stable fixed points of a simple one-dimensional nonlinear dynamical system     

Development of an Enzymic Time Temperature Integrator for Sterilization Processes Based on Bacillus licheniformis α-amylase at Reduced Water Content

ABSTRACT: The thermal stability of Bacillus licheniformis α-amylase at low moisture content was studied, based on isothermal experiments performed in a temperature range 113 to 125 °C. The thermal inactivation was monitored by measuring the decrease in thermal denaturation enthalpy and/or the decrease in enzymic activity on pnitrophenyl-α-D-maltoheptaoside, or on starch as a substrate. Based on enthalpy readings, an enzymic system with a z-value of 10.4 °C was observed when using a relative humidity of 81% at 4 °C. A theoretical study showed that this system could be used as a Time Temperature Integrator (TTI) to monitor the safety of sterilization processes of numerous food products.