Legal information retrieval for understanding statutory terms

In this work we study, design, and evaluate computational methods to support interpretation of statutory terms. We propose a novel task of discovering sentences for argumentation about the meaning of statutory terms. The task models the analysis of past treatment of statutory terms, an exercise lawyers routinely perform using a combination of manual and computational approaches. We treat the discovery of sentences as a special case of ad hoc document retrieval. The specifics include retrieval of short texts (sentences), specialized document types (legal case texts), and, above all, the unique definition of document relevance provided in detailed annotation guidelines. To support our experiments we assembled a data set comprising 42 queries (26,959 sentences) which we plan to release to the public in the near future in order to support further research. Most importantly, we investigate the feasibility of developing a system that responds to a query with a list of sentences that mention the term in a way that is useful for understanding and elaborating its meaning. This is accomplished by a systematic assessment of different features that model the sentences’ usefulness for interpretation. We combine features into a compound measure that accounts for multiple aspects. The definition of the task, the assembly of the data set, and the detailed task analysis provide a solid foundation for employing a learning-to-rank approach.

     

Ball-burnishing effect on deep residual stress on AISI 1038 and AA2017-T4

Ball-burnishing induces compressive residual stresses on treated materials by the effect of plastic deformation. The result is an increase in the fatigue life of the treated part, retarding the initiation of cracks on the surface. Compressive residual stresses have been previously measured by X-ray diffraction near the surface, revealing considerably high values at the maximum analyzed depth, in relation to other finishing processes such as shot peening. However, the maximum analyzed depth is very limited by using this technique. In this paper, the incremental hole drilling (IHD) technique is tested to measure residual stresses, being able to reach a 2-mm measuring depth. To that objective, a commercial strain gage is used and calibrated using finite element model simulations. A second Finite Element Model based on material removal rate is developed to obtain the equations to calculate the strain release through IHD. Finally, residual stresses are measured experimentally with that technique on two different materials, confirming that ball-burnishing increases the compressive residual stresses in layers up to 0.5?mm deep for the testing conditions, which is a good response to industrial needs. The method proves to be suitable, simple and inexpensive way to measure the value of these tensions.     

Fast in situ 3D nanoimaging: a new tool for dynamic characterization in materials science

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Stability and electronic properties of armchair boron nitride/carbon nanotubes

In this work are studied the electronic and structural properties of armchair boron nitride/carbon nanotubes using first principles calculations. The density functional within the generalized gradient approximation (HSEh1PBE-GGA) is used. For each composition, different bonding schemes for the construction of the hybrid systems were employed. Among them, structural stability with neutral charge was determined for the following compositions: T1: B₄₀N₃₅C₇₅H₂₀, T2: B₃₅N₄₀C₇₅H₂₀, T3: B₃₇N₃₈C₇₅H₂₀, T4 : B₃₇N₃₇C₇₆H₂₀, and T7: B₃₅N₃₅C₈₀H₂₀. All these hybrid nanotubes have high polarity; the T3, T4 and T7 are semiconductors: whereas T1 and T2 are conductor in character. The formers also have magnetic behavior. These properties together with a low-chemical potential suggest applications as nano-vehicle for drug delivery. These mixed nanotubes also have potential applications in the electronic devices based on the small work function.     

Photocatalytic activity of a new composite material of Fe (III) oxide nanoparticles wrapped by a matrix of polymeric carbon nitride and amorphous carbon

Polymeric carbon nitride was synthesized from urea and doped with Cu and Fe to act as co-catalysts. The material doped with Fe was a new composite material composed of Fe(III) oxides (acting as a co-catalyst) wrapped by the polymer layers and amorphous carbon. Furthermore, the copper doped material was described in a previous report. The photocatalytic degradation of the azo dye direct blue 1 (DB) was studied using as photocatalysts: pure carbon nitride (CN), carbon nitride doped with Cu (CN-Cu) and carbon nitride doped with Fe (CN-Fe). The catalysts were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method (BET), etc. The adsorption phenomenon was studied using the Langmuir and Freundlich models. For the kinetic study, a solution of 500 mg L^?1 of DB1 was treated with each catalyst, visible light and H₂O₂. The dye concentration was measured by spectrophotometry at the wavelength of 565 nm, and the removal of the total organic content (TOC) was quantified. BET analysis yielded surface areas of 60.029, 20.116 and 70.662 m²g^?1 for CN, CN-Cu and CN-Fe, respectively. The kinetics of degradation were pseudo-first order, whose constants were 0.093, 0.039 and 0.110 min^?1 for CN, CN-Cu and CN-Fe, respectively. The total organic carbon (TOC) removal reached the highest value of 14.46% with CN-Fe.     

Edge Fracture Prediction Using Uncoupled Ductile Fracture Models for DP780 Sheet

This paper is a contribution to the prediction of edge fracture behavior using uncoupled ductile fracture models. A fully integrated simulation framework for the edge fracture prediction is proposed with the shear-induced pre-damage considered. User-defined material subroutines are coded with uncoupled ductile fracture models (Lou-Huh, Oh, Brozzo) incorporated, which are calibrated using the fracture strains of various loading paths. A series of 3D numerical simulations are performed and compared with the results of hole-expansion tests. The effects of pre-damage field and fracture models are analyzed and discussed.

     

Utilizing Iron's Attractive Chemical and Magnetic Properties in Microrocket Design,Extended Motion,and Unique Performance

All‐in‐one material for microrocket propulsion featuring acid‐based bubble generation and magnetic guidance is presented. Electrochemically deposited iron serves as both a propellant, toward highly efficient self‐propulsion in acidic environments, and as a magnetic component enabling complete motion control. The new microrockets display longer lifetime and higher propulsion efficiency compared to previously reported active metal zinc‐based microrockets due to the chemical properties of iron and the unique structure of the microrockets. These iron‐based microrockets also demonstrate unique and attractive cargo towing and autonomous release capabilities. The latter is realized upon loss of the magnetic properties due to acid‐driven iron dissolution. More interestingly, these bubble‐propelled microrockets assemble via magnetic interactions into a variety of complex configurations and train structures, which enrich the behavior of micromachines. Modeling of the magnetic forces during the microrocket assembly and cargo capture confirms these unique experimentally observed assembly and cargo‐towing behaviors. These findings provide a new concept of blending propellant and magnetic components into one, toward simplifying the design and fabrication of artificial micro/nanomachines, realizing new functions and capabilities for a variety of future applications.