Recrystallization/precipitation behaviour in microalloyed steels

Microalloyed high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steels contain additions of Nb, V, Ti, or in combination, in amounts of 0.01 to 0.1 weight percent to improve mechanical properties, which are strongly dependent on the thermomechanical interaction taking place in the course of rolling mill processes. The recrystallizatian of hat-twisted austenite has been investigated in a cylindrical specimen (f 6×50 mm) machined from hat rolled plates of 0,052 wt % Niobium microalloyed steel. Continuous and interrupted torsion test were carried out in the temperature range 1123 K to 1173 K after a solution treatment of 1.5 minutes at 1423 K and torque-twist data were analysed. The various methods were discussed for obtaining results from torsion tests. The effect of precipitation kinetics was appreciated by way of connection t_p/t_p(red), where t_p is the experimental measured time for the peak stress and t_p(red) is the newly defined reduced time. The softening ratio X and time t_0.05R for start of static recrystallization were established.

The correlation between precipitation and recrystallization is presented as a graphs for chosen requirements (temperature of austenitization, carbon and niobium content and strain rate). If temperature goes below 850°C, the restoration processes are hardly suppressed, both are limited by diffusion and Nb(CN) precipitation, which are extended dynamically in the range of strains rates 10⁻² to 1 s⁻¹.

In the present paper, an attempt is made to derive the PRTT diagram and to define all mathematical equations for describing recrystallization times t_0.05R, t_0.5R, t_0.95R and t_0.05P for the start of precipitation. In real metal forming processes such as the hot rolling of plates or strips the knowledge of these parameters and results is extremely important for the the correct microstructure and sheet quality to be obtained.     

Magnetic force microscopy studies on the magnetic ordering in organic materials induced by high-energy proton irradiation

In this study, ferromagnetic microstructures in highly oriented pyrolytic graphite and superparamagnetic spots in polyimide foils were created by 2.25 MeV proton microbeam irradiation and characterized using atomic and magnetic force microscopy. For this purpose, graphite samples were irradiated with cross-like patterns of 15 μm × 15 μm size using ion fluences in the range of (0.003–2.5) × 10¹⁸ cm⁻². The irradiated crosses showed strong magnetic signals and a complex domain structure in the magnetic images depending on the geometrical dimensions of the crosses. Furthermore, polyimide foils were irradiated with microspots and fluences in the range of (0.016–3.1) × 10¹⁹ cm⁻². Magnetic force microscopy shows very strong phase shifts in these irradiated areas.     

Effects of selenium and vitamin E on incidence of retained placenta

In a series of experiments over 3 yr, relatively low doses of selenium and vitamin E were injected intramuscularly 3 wk prepartum to pregnant Israeli-Holstein dairy cows in a high-producing herd (9000 kg milk/yr) with a history of retained placenta in 17% of the primiparous and 28% of the multiparous animals, as recorded for the 12 mo preceding the study. Selenium ranged from .035 to .109 ppm in the prepartum diet and from .160 to .200 ppm in the postpartum diet. Doses of selenium ranging from 2.3 to 23.0 mg reduced the incidence of retained placenta in 186 primiparous and in 428 multiparous to 7 and 15%, which was half of that of controls. Low doses of selenium (2.3 to 4.6 mg) tended to be more effective than higher ones. Selenium alone was at least as effective as a combination of selenium and vitamin E. Dosage, timing, mechanism, and interactions of selenium with other factors in reducing the incidence of retained placenta need clarification.     

Serotonin-4 receptor antagonists reverse cocaine-induced cardiac arrhythmia

CONTEXT: Adolescent smoking prevalence is tracked annually and has increased since 1991. In contrast, little is known about trends in smoking among college students, a group that has previously been more resistant to tobacco use than other young adults. OBJECTIVE: To examine changes in cigarette smoking among college students between 1993 and 1997 and among different types of students and colleges. DESIGN: Self-administered survey (Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study). SETTING: One hundred sixteen nationally representative 4-year colleges. SUBJECTS: A total of 15103 randomly selected students in 1993 (70% response rate) and 14251 students in 1997 (60% response rate). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-reports of cigarette smoking in the past 30 days and in the past year, age at smoking first cigarette, and number of attempts to quit. RESULTS: Over 4 years, the prevalence of current (30-day) cigarette smoking rose by 27.8%, from 22.3% to 28.5% (P<.001). The increase was observed in 99 of 116 colleges and was statistically significant (P<.05) in 27 (23%) of them. Current smoking increased across all student subgroups (defined by sex, race/ethnicity, and year in school) and in all types of colleges. Smoking is rising faster in public schools (from 22.0% to 29.3%) than in private schools (from 22.9% to 26.8%). Eleven percent of college smokers had their first cigarette and 28% began to smoke regularly at or after age 19 years, by which time most were already in college. Half of current smokers tried to quit in the previous year; 18% had made 5 or more attempts to quit. CONCLUSIONS: Cigarette use is increasing on campuses nationwide in all subgroups and types of colleges. Substantial numbers of college students are both starting to smoke regularly and trying to stop. National efforts to reduce smoking should be extended to college students.     

Low strain rate plasticity of continuously cast carbon steels

By a special plastometric method, the straightening operation of a vertically cast strand of two carbon steels was simulated. The temperature dependence of the low strain rate plasticity of both the steels examined is analogous although caused by very different reasons. As to the plain carbon steel, the amount of ferrite and its location is of prime importance, whereas in the case of eutectoid steel various modes of fracture and the influence of temperature on the relative plasticity of type II MnS inclusions are influencial. To avoid transverse cracking, it seems to be suitable to keep the strand at a rather high temperature (above 900 °C). Temperature cycling seems to be fundamental as to the structural changes taking place in the strand (grain size refining, ferrite fraction if any), whereas analogous influences of straining are more or less inexpressive. Of course, the results obtained are of quality only since the practical and laboratory conditions differ significantly. The knowledge obtained could be applied in regulating the intensity of strand cooling with the aim of lowering the waste portion and improving the surface quality of worked products.     

Thermal Transformation of Ring-Opened [2 2] C60 Dimer into a Wide-Bridged C120 Isomer. A Computational Evaluation of Fulvalene-Naphthalene Rearrangements

As a continuation of the studies on thermal transformation of the [2+2] C₆₀ dimer (1), the consequence of the pyracylene-rearrangement-like valence isomerization of the fulvalene partial structure at the bridge of the ring-opened product from 1, namely 2, was searched by dynamic reaction coordinate /AM1 semiempirical MO calculations. It is predicted that the fulvalene bridge of 2 rearranges into naphthalene partial structure by the concerted 'in-plane' mechanism to give a wide-bridged C₁₂₀ intermediate having twenty five-membered rings and two ten-membered rings (3). The computed energy of activation (145 kcal/mol) is 40 kcal/mol lower than those computed for pyracylene rearrangements. In contrast, the recently reported analogous rearrangement of indigo (13) to dibenzonaphthyridindione (14) is computed to occur by the stepwise 'sp³' mechanism.     

External surface and lamellarity of lipid vesicles: a practice-oriented set of assay methods

Three methods are presented for the determination of external surface of large lipid vesicles of different lamellarity with 2% absolute accuracy. These methods (referred to as EPR, NBD and TNBS assays) use different marker lipids which provide signals (electron paramagnetic resonance, fluorescence of N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl) residues, and UV absorption increase of 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid after reaction with aminolipids, respectively). The signals change upon addition of different membrane-impermeant reagents due to reaction with marker lipids at the external vesicle surface. They were applied to the same vesicle samples, including unilamellar and multilamellar vesicles, both at two different lipid compositions. External surface data matched for the three assays within 2%, but only after appropriate redesign or adaptation of so far published procedures. Main improvements related to slow influx of reagents (TNBS and NBD assays) or to redistribution of marker lipids (EPR assay), obscuring determination of outer vesicle surface from fast reaction between reagent and readily accessible marker lipids. Furthermore, suitable strategies were found to obtain accurate 100% values (reaction of all marker lipids present), required to relate external vesicle surface to total surface. This included corrections for light scattering (NBD assay) and for turbidity (TNBS assay). These three methods appear to close a gap in the methodology to determine external surface of vesicles for typical practical needs. In particular, the reliability range of the NBD assay could be extended to marker lipid densities as low as 1 marker lipid per 3000 lipids.     

Constraints on benthic algal response to nutrient addition in oligotrophic mountain rivers

Nutrient availability has long been considered one of the most important factors regulating production of benthic algae in oligotrophic rivers; yet, empirical relationships do not have as wide an application as similar models derived for lentic systems. The aim of this research was to derive empirical relationships between nutrient concentrations and benthic algal abundance and to identify commonalities with other studies to improve our understanding of constraints on algae in oligotrophic rivers. Surveys of physical, chemical and biological attributes of oligotrophic mountain rivers in spring, summer and autumn for 2 years confirmed that small amounts of anthropogenic phosphorus (0.1–5.6 µg/L total phosphorus (TP)) resulted in 4‐ to 30‐fold increases in abundance of benthic algae and benthic macroinvertebrates (BMIs). Algal accrual along a gradient in nutrient availability was not masked by grazing pressure but was positively correlated with abundance of scrapers. Epilithic abundance was highest downstream of anthropogenic nutrient sources in autumn. We concluded that benthic algal abundance in these mountain rivers was weakly correlated with phosphorus availability if light was not limiting but ultimately controlled by temperature and river discharge. Therefore, we recommend more direct measures of nutrient limitation be used to predict changes in ecological integrity at the lower end of the resource gradient. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electrodynamic headphones and woofers for application in magnetic resonance imaging scanners

Electrodynamic speakers compatible with (functional) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are described. The speakers magnets are removed, their function is replaced by the scanner's magnetic field, resulting in an uncommon but efficient operation. The method can be used with headphones as well as woofers. Functional MRI is not associated with any known biological risks, but as a method for visualization of task-specific activation of brain regions it is undesirably noisy. Thus, it requires both noise protection and efficient sound transmission systems for delivering acoustic stimuli to subjects. Woofers could possibly be used in active noise-control systems. The speakers described in this paper can be used for either task.