Structure and magnetostriction of Tb0.4Nd0.6(Fe0.8Co0.2) x alloys

Structural, magnetic and magnetostrictive properties of Tb_0.4Nd_0.6(Fe_0.8Co_0.2) _x (1.50 ≤ x ≤ 1.90) alloys have been investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), a vibrating sample magnetometer and a standard strain technique. XRD analysis shows the presence of single Laves phase with a cubic MgCu₂-type structure for the high Nd content alloy around the composition of x = 1.80, which tends to be formed by curing at relatively low annealing temperature. The easy direction of magnetization at room temperature is observed toward <111> axis, accompanied by a rhombohedral distortion with a large spontaneous magnetostriction λ₁₁₁. An optimized effect on the linear anisotropic magnetostriction, 360 ppm at 3 kOe, was observed for the high Nd content Tb_0.4Nd_0.6(Fe_0.8Co_0.2)_1.80 alloy, which can be attributed to its single Laves phase, the large λ₁₁₁ (~1,520 ppm) of the MgCu₂-type (Tb,Nd)(Fe,Co)₂ phase and the good soft magnetic behaviors.     

Assessing the diagnostic power of variables measured with a detection limit

The phenomenon of the limit of detection (LoD) often happens in many practical situations because of technique and instrument limitations. In the literature, some reports show that, in general, to apply conventional methods to evaluate the diagnostic power of variables while ignoring LoD could be seriously biased. Although the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve can be estimated consistently if the distribution of variables are known. In practical situation, such information is usually not available. On the other hand, it has been proved that the area under ROC curve of a variable with a LoD and no distribution assumptions is usually biased no matter what kinds of replacement strategies are used. However, there is a lack of similar studies on the partial area under ROC curve (pAUC), and because this measure is usually preferred in practice, it is of interest to examine whether the estimate of pAUC of a variable measured with a LoD behaves the same. In this study, we found that for some LoD scenarios, and even without distribution assumption, consistent estimate of pAUC can be constructed. When the consistent estimate of pAUC cannot be obtained, the bias can be ineffectual in practical situations, and the proposed estimator can be a good approximation of pAUC. Numerical studies using simulated data sets and real data examples are reported.     

Local-in-space estimates near initial time for weak solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations and forward self-similar solutions

We show that the classical Cauchy problem for the incompressible 3d Navier-Stokes equations with (?1)-homogeneous initial data has a global scale-invariant solution which is smooth for positive times. Our main technical tools are local-in-space regularity estimates near the initial time, which are of independent interest.     

Effect of transition elements on dispersoid formation and elevated-temperature mechanical properties in 6082 aluminum alloy

ABSTRACT

The effect of transition elements, specifically Mn, Cr, V, and Mo, on dispersoid formation and mechanical properties in 6082 aluminum alloy was studied. The elevated-temperature mechanical properties were evaluated based on the compressive yield strength and creep resistance. The results indicated that the addition of Mn to the 6082 alloy resulted in the formation of a large number of the thermally stable α-Al(MnFe)Si dispersoids, thereby significantly improving the elevated-temperature mechanical properties of the alloy. Subsequent additions of Cr, V, and Mo increased the amount of Mn-bearing intermetallic phases, which decreased the supersaturation levels of Mn and Si in the α-Al, and consequently decreased the volume fraction of the dispersoids. The alloys containing Cr, V, and Mo exhibited similar yield strengths at 300°C and higher yield strengths at room temperature compared to the alloy containing only Mn. The size effect of the smaller dispersoids containing Cr, V, and Mo together with the solid-solution hardening of these elements could balance out the strength decrease resulting from the decreased volume fraction of the dispersoids. The additions of Cr, V, and Mo significantly increased the creep resistance of the Mn-containing 6082 alloy. Vanadium induced the highest creep resistance followed by Cr and Mo. Solute atoms of these elements with low diffusivity in the aluminum matrix contributed significantly to increasing the creep resistance at 300°C.     

Single-Molecule Sensing of Acidic Catecholamine Metabolites Using a Programmable Nanopore

Acidic catecholamine metabolites, which could serve as diagnostic markers for many diseases, demonstrate an importance of accurate sensing. However, they share a highly similar chemical structure, which is a challenge in the design of sensing strategies. A nanopore may be engineered to sense these metabolites in a single molecule manner. To achieve this, a recently developed programmable nano-reactor for stochastic sensing (PNRSS) technique adapted with a phenylboronic acid (PBA) adaptor was applied. Three acidic catecholamine metabolites, including 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), 3,4-dihydroxymandelic acid (DHMA) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxymandetic acid (VMA) were investigated by PNRSS. Specifically, DHMA, which contains an α-hydroxycarboxylate moiety and an adjacent cis-hydroxyl groups on its benzene ring, reports two binding modes simultaneously resolvable by PNRSS. Assisted with the high resolution of PNRSS, direct regulation of these two binding modes by pH can also be observed. A custom machine learning algorithm was also developed to achieve automatic event classification.     

Detailed experimental and kinetic modeling study of 3-carene pyrolysis

3-Carene is an important potential biofuel with properties similar to the jet-propellant JP-10. Its thermal decomposition and combustion behavior is to date unknown, which is essential to assess its quality as a fuel. A combined experimental and kinetic modeling study has been conducted to understand the initial decomposition of 3-carene. The pyrolysis of 3-carene was investigated in a jet-stirred quartz reactor at atmospheric pressure, at temperatures varying from 650 to 1050 K, covering the complete conversion range. The decomposition of 3-carene was observed to start around 800 K, and it is almost complete at 970 K. Online gas chromatography shows that primarily aromatics are generated which suggests that 3-carene is not a good fuel candidate. The potential energy surface for the initial decomposition pathways determined by KinBot shows that a hydrogen elimination reaction dominates, giving primarily cara-2,4-diene. Next to this molecular pathway, radical pathways lead to aromatics via ring opening. The kinetic model was automatically generated with Genesys and consists of 2565 species and 9331 reactions. New quantum chemical calculations at the CBS-QB3 level of theory were needed to calculate rate coefficients and thermodynamic properties relevant for the primary decomposition of 3-carene. Both the conversion of 3-carene and the yields of the primary products (ie, benzene and hydrogen gas) are well predicted with this kinetic model. Rate of production analyses shows that the dominant pathways to convert 3-carene are hydrogen elimination reaction and radical chemistry.