Structure factors of modified liquid Al–Si alloys

The structure factor and the coordination numbers of liquid Al–Si alloys with different Si content have been measured by a high temperature X-ray diffractometer. Radial distribution functions (RDFs), the nearest atomic distance and the coordination numbers of eutectic Al–Si alloys before and after being modified with Sr and Sb were studied. The RDFs of the liquid alloy were decomposed by five Gaussian peaks. The results show that a Si–Si covalent bond exists in the liquid of eutectic and hyper-eutectic alloys. Sr in the liquid Al–Si has a capability to weaken the covalent bonds of Si–Si, suppressing the nucleation of the eutectic silicon phase. On the other hand, Sb in the liquid Al–Si increases the order degree of Si atoms, decreasing the supercooling degree of the nucleation and promoting the nucleation of eutectic silicon.     

Annealing process of fine grained co-stabilised (Y,Mg)-PSZ/MgAl2O4 ceramics

Abstract

Co-stabilised (Y,Mg) partially stabilised zirconia (PSZ) ceramics with MgAl₂O₄ spinel additions were produced, with industrial zirconia as the main starting material. Powders were prepared using a mechanical milling–mixing process. The effect of the annealing process on the mechanical properties, phase compositions, and microstructure of fine grained PSZ ceramics was investigated.     

LaO_x(OH)_y supported platinum catalysts for CO oxidation:Deactivation by formation of lanthanum carbonate

Platinum catalyst for CO oxidation has been studied for decades,due to its high activity and good stability.In this work,we prepared three different lantha num oxide or hydroxide supports(LaO_x(OH)_y),and deposited platinum(Pt) with 0.5 at% via an impregnation approach to synthesize Pt/LaO_x(OH)_y catalysts.However,we find that these catalysts perform a poor stability for the CO oxidation reaction.The fresh and used samples were comprehensively characterized by multiple techniques including power X-ray diffraction(XRD),X-ray absorption fine structure(XAFS),transmission electron microscopy(TEM),temperature-programmed reduction by carbon monoxide(CO-TPR) and thermogravimetric analysis(TGA),to demonstrate that the oxidized platinum atoms or clusters,without any component of Pt-Pt metallic bond,are highly dispersed on the surface of LaO_x(OH)_y.Furthermore,the as-formed lanthanum carbonate(La₂O₂CO₃) during the exposure to ambient circumstances or in the reaction atmosphere of CO+O₂,severely impair the reactivity of Pt/LaO_x(OH)_y.On the basis of the obtained experimental results,we have drawn a conclusion that the oxidized P_tO_x atoms or PtxOy clusters are the active species for CO oxidation,while the formation of lanthanum carbonate is the origin of deactivation on reactivity.     

Sensitivity analysis of nonlinear fractional order control systems with state delay

In this paper, we consider a class of nonlinear fractional order control system with delay in state variable. Existence and uniqueness of solution are shown by using method of steps. The sensitivity of the state and control with respect to the parameters of the system is shown. Finally, analytical results are substantiated by numerical examples.     

Recursive identification for Hammerstein–Wiener systems with dead-zone input nonlinearity

A new recursive algorithm is proposed for the identification of a special form of Hammerstein–Wiener system with dead-zone nonlinearity input block. The direct motivation of this work is to implement on-line control strategies on this kind of system to produce adaptive control algorithms. With the parameterization model of the Hammerstein–Wiener system, a special form of model estimation error is defined; and then its approximate formula is given for the following derivation. Based on these, a recursive identification algorithm is established that aims at minimizing the sum of the squared parameter estimation errors. The conditions of uniform convergence are obtained from the property analysis of the proposed algorithm and an adaptive setting method for a weighted factor in the algorithm is given, which enhances the convergence of the proposed algorithm. This algorithm can also be used for the identification of the Hammerstein systems with dead-zone nonlinearity input block. Three simulation examples show the validity of this algorithm.     

L2–L∞ fuzzy control for Markov jump systems with neutral time-delays

The L₂–L_∞ fuzzy control problem is considered for nonlinear stochastic Markov jump systems with neutral time-delays. By means of Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy models, the fuzzy controller systems and the overall closed-loop fuzzy dynamics are constructed. A sufficient condition is firstly established on the stochastic stability using stochastic Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional. Then in terms of linear matrix inequalities techniques, the sufficient conditions on the existence of mode-dependent state feedback L₂–L_∞ fuzzy controller are presented and proved respectively for constant and time varying case. Finally, the design problems are formulated as optimization algorithms. Simulation results are exploited to illustrate the effectiveness of the developed techniques.     

Regulation of memory accuracy with multiple answers: The plurality option.

We report two experiments that investigated the regulation of memory accuracy with a new regulatory mechanism: the plurality option. This mechanism is closely related to the grain-size option but involves control over the number of alternatives contained in an answer rather than the quantitative boundaries of a single answer. Participants were presented with a slideshow depicting a robbery (Experiment 1) or a murder (Experiment 2), and their memory was tested with five-alternative multiple-choice questions. For each question, participants were asked to generate two answers: a single answer consisting of one alternative and a plural answer consisting of the single answer and two other alternatives. Each answer was rated for confidence (Experiment 1) or for the likelihood of being correct (Experiment 2), and one of the answers was selected for reporting. Results showed that participants used the plurality option to regulate accuracy, selecting single answers when their accuracy and confidence were high, but opting for plural answers when they were low. Although accuracy was higher for selected plural than for selected single answers, the opposite pattern was evident for confidence or likelihood ratings. This dissociation between confidence and accuracy for selected answers was the result of marked overconfidence in single answers coupled with underconfidence in plural answers. We hypothesize that these results can be attributed to overly dichotomous metacognitive beliefs about personal knowledge states that cause subjective confidence to be extreme. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Deficits in emotion-regulation skills predict alcohol use during and after cognitive–behavioral therapy for alcohol dependence.

Objective: As emotion regulation is widely considered to be a primary motive in the misuse of alcohol, our aim in the study was to investigate whether deficits in adaptive emotion-regulation skills maintain alcohol dependence (AD). Method: A prospective study investigated whether emotion-regulation skills were associated with AD and whether these skills predicted alcohol use during and after treatment for AD. Participants were 116 individuals treated for AD with cognitive–behavioral therapy. Emotion regulation and severity of AD symptoms were assessed by self-report. Alcohol use during treatment was assessed by Breathalyzer and urine analysis for ethyl glucuronide; alcohol use during the 3-month follow-up interval was assessed by self-report. Results: Pretreatment emotion-regulation skills predicted alcohol use during treatment, and posttreatment emotion-regulation skills predicted alcohol use at follow-up, even when controlling for other predictors potentially related to emotion regulation. Among a broad range of specific emotion-regulation skills, the ability to tolerate negative emotions was the only skill that negatively predicted subsequent alcohol consumption when controlling for the other skills. Individuals in the AD sample reported significantly larger deficits in emotion-regulation skills than did those in a nonclinical control sample but significantly less than did those in a sample of individuals exclusively meeting criteria for major depressive disorder. Conclusions: Enhancement of general emotion-regulation skills, especially the ability to tolerate negative emotions, appears to be an important target in the treatment of AD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of pause software on the temporal characteristics of computer use

The study investigated the natural work–pause pattern of computer users and the possible effects of imposing pause regimes on this pattern. Hereto, the precise timing of computer events was recorded across a large number of days. It was found that the distribution of the pause durations was extremely skewed and that pauses with twice the duration are twice less likely to occur. The effects of imposing pause regimes were studied by performing a simulation of commercially available pause software. It was found that depending on the duration of the introduced pause, the software added 25–57% of the pauses taken naturally. Analysis of the timing of the introduced pauses revealed that a large number of spontaneous pauses were taken close to the inserted pause. Considering the disappointing results of studies investigating the effects of introducing (active) pauses during computer work, this study has cast doubt on the usefulness of introducing short duration pauses.     

Parasitic resistance current sensing topology for coupled inductors

Traditional current sensing topology based on inductor equivalent series resistance fails to extract phase currents for coupled inductors due to the presence of the magnetising inductance. This article proposes a new direct-current resistance current sensing topology for coupled inductors. By implementation of a simple resistor-capacitor network, the proposed topology can preserve the coupling effect between phases. As a result, real phase inductor currents and total current can be sensed. Detailed mathematical analysis and design equations are presented in this article. Sensitivity and mismatch issues are addressed. Experimental results show that the proposed topologies are able to extract phase current as well as total current with acceptable accuracy.