Development of maraging steel compositions intended for quenching from the liquid state

A. A. Baikov Institute of Metallurgy, Moscow. Ulyanovsk Polytechnic Institute. Translated from Metallovedenie i Termicheskaya Obrabotka Metallov, No. 4, pp. 22–25, April, 1992.     

Properties of titanium-containing sol-gel films modified with copper and vanadium oxides

Translated from Steklo i Keramika, No. 1, pp. 4–6, January, 1994.     

Worm plots

Scientists sometimes spend hours conducting experiments only to find that the resulting data proves difficult to analyze with traditional visualization techniques. A typical laboratory experiment, for example, will setup several systems in each of two or more groups-a control group and various treatment groups. The investigator will then measure various parameters for each system over time (sometimes dozens to hundreds of parameters). The investigator tries to answer this question: What is different between the control and treatment groups? Field monitoring of polluted and unpolluted sites within a region result in the same kinds of data and the same difficulties in visualization. Plotting multiple lines on a single 2D plot quickly gets confusing. Plus, the dynamic interactions between parameters can be hard to see. 3D visualizations help researchers make qualitative insights about data more easily. We developed a 3D plotting technique, called “worm plots”, for visualizing these kinds of data. Our visualization tool examines how groups of points change over time. If we plot circles for each time slice, then these circles will change their relative sizes and positions as time goes by. To visualize these evolving dynamics, we connect these time slices with conic sections. This gives us spacetime worms that can be displayed graphically. In our experience, these simple circular cross sections work best when exploring data. They can be rendered quickly and give an easily intuited summary of each group. Further enhancements tend to make the image busy and difficult to interpret     

Singular value properties of LQ regulators

The closed-loop singular values of an LQ regulator transfer function are proved to be no greater than the singular values of the open-loop transfer function and, in the case of output-weighted cost function, to be no greater than the output-weighting parameter     

Reliability modeling and performance of variable link-capacitynetworks

The discussion by R. Schanzer (see ibid., vol.44, p.620-1, 1995) tries to correct the algorithms of P.K. Varshney, et al. (see ibid., vol.43, p.378-82, 1994) and K.K Aggarwal (see ibid., vol.37, p.65-9, 1988). But Schanzer doesn't explain why those algorithms have difficulty in calculating the maximum flow. This paper explains the problem and gives a correction of the algorithm so that the basic problem can be solved     

IEA joint trials: New lessons from old plantations

Two international trials of potential biomass species families and clones planted in 1985 have been analyzed to determine changing patterns in growth, diseases, and insects. In the Swedish trial, with close spacing and short rotations, Salix viminalis clones gave the best average yield of 17.4 Mg/Ha/yr on the first coppice rotation. In the Minnesota, USA trial, with wider spacings and a longer rotation Populus alba hybrid clones gave the best average yields of 5.5 Mg/Ha/yr. The most important disease and insect problems encountered were Septoria musiva stem cankers on some Populus clones; frost die back in some Salix clones; and the leaf blotch miner, Fenusa dohrnii, on most Alnus families. Recommendations for future international cooperation in field trials are presented.