One-Step Sintering Process for the Production of Magnetocaloric La(Fe,Si)13-Based Composites

A one-step sintering process was developed to produce magnetocaloric La(Fe,Si)13/Ce-Co composites. The effects of Ce2Co7 content and sintering time on the relevant phase transformations were determined. Following sintering at 1373 K/30 MPa for 1–6 h, the NaZn13-type (La,Ce)(Fe,Co,Si)13 phase formed, the mass fraction of α-Fe phase reduced and the CeFe7-type (La,Ce)(Fe,Co,Si)7 phase appeared. The mass fraction of the (La,Ce)(Fe,Co,Si)7 phase increased, and the α-Fe phase content decreased with increasing Ce2Co7 content. However, the mass fraction of the (La,Ce)(Fe,Co,Si)7 phase reduced with increasing sintering time. The EDS results showed a difference in concentration between Co and Ce at the interphase boundary between the 1:13 phase and the 1:7 phase, indicating that the diffusion mode of Ce is reaction diffusion, while that of Co is the usual vacancy mechanism. Interestingly, almost 100 % single phase (La,Ce)(Fe,Co,Si)13 was obtained by appropriate Ce2Co7 addition. After 6 h sintering at 1373 K, the Ce and Co content in the (La,Ce)(Fe,Co,Si)13 phase increased for larger Ce2Co7 content. Therefore, the Curie temperature increased from 212 K (binder-free sample) to 331 K (15 wt.% Ce2Co7 sample). The maximum magnetic entropy change (−∆SM)max decreased from 8.8 (binder-free sample) to 6.0 J/kg∙K (15 wt.% Ce2Co7 sample) under 5 T field. High values of compressive strength (σbc)max of up to 450 MPa and high thermal conductivity (λ) of up to 7.5 W/m∙K were obtained. A feasible route to produce high quality La(Fe,Si)13 based magnetocaloric composites with large MCE, good mechanical properties, attractive thermal conductivity and tunable TC by a one-step sintering process has been demonstrated.

Physiochemical effect on the microgroove microstructure in microcutting of pure copper

The physiochemical effect on the microcutting of pure copper is studied through characterization on the cross-sectioned microgroove. An obvious reduction in cutting force and thrust force can be obtained with the application of ink surfactant. The surface roughness of microgroove with physiochemical effect is 12 nm, and that without physiochemical effect is 17 nm. The average grain size of the ink-affected sample is 67.9 µm within the microgroove zone, and that of the ink-free sample is 48.3 µm within the microgroove zone, moreover, the grain size of ink-free microgroove near the microgroove surface is larger than that far away from the microgroove surface. Additionally, the grain orientations of ink-affected cross-sectioned surface present anisotropy, while that of ink-free cross-sectioned surface are towards {101} direction. Based on the calculation and analysis of geometrically necessary dislocation, it can be inferred that the induced stress and temperature in the sample with physiochemical effect are higher than that without physiochemical effect, which can provide enough driving energy for recrystallization.

Physiochemical effect on the microgroove microstructure in microcutting of pure copper

Physiochemical effect on the machining of pure copper is studied via microstructure characterization on the cross-sectioned microgroove. An obvious decreased cutting force and thrust force were obtained with the application of surfactant. The surface roughness of microgroove with physiochemical effect is 12 nm, and that without physiochemical effect is 17 nm. The average grain size of the medium-affected sample is 67.9 µm within the microgroove zone, and that of the medium-free sample is 48.3 µm within the microgroove zone, moreover, the grain size of medium-free microgroove near the microgroove surface is larger than that far away from the microgroove surface. Additionally, the grain orientations of medium-affected cross-sectioned surface present anisotropy, while that of medium-free cross-sectioned surface are towards {101} direction. Based on the calculation and analysis of geometrically necessary dislocation, it can be inferred that the induced stress and temperature in the sample with physiochemical effect are higher than that without physiochemical effect, which can provide enough driving energy for recrystallization.

DEFS—Data Exchange with Free Sample Protocol

Distrust between data providers and data consumers is one of the main obstacles hampering the take-off of digital-data commerce. Data providers want to get paid for what they offer, while data consumers want to know exactly what they are paying for before actually paying for it. In this article, we present a protocol that overcomes this obstacle by building trust based on two main ideas. First, a probabilistic verification protocol, where some random samples of the real dataset are shown to buyers in order to allow them to make an assessment before committing any payment; and second, a guaranteed, protected payment process enforced with smart contracts on a public blockchain that guarantees the payment of data if and only if the provided data meet the agreed terms, and that honest players are otherwise refunded.

Sample Preparation Strategies for Antibody-Free Quantitative Analysis of High Mobility Group Box 1 Protein

Sickness behavior and fatigue are induced by cerebral mechanisms involving inflammatory cytokines. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is an alarmin, and a potential key player in this process. Reliable quantification methods for total HMGB1 and its redox variants must be established in order to clearly understand how it functions. Current methods pose significant challenges due to interference from other plasma proteins and autoantibodies. We aimed to develop an antibody-free sample preparation method followed by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to measure HMGB1 in human plasma. Different methods were applied for the removal of interfering proteins and the enrichment of HMGB1 from spiked human plasma samples. A comparison of methods showed an overall low extraction recovery (<40%), probably due to the stickiness of HMGB1. Reversed-phase liquid chromatography separation of intact proteins in diluted plasma yielded the most promising results. The method produced an even higher degree of HMGB1 purification than that observed with immunoaffinity extraction. Detection sensitivity needs to be further improved for the measurement of HMGB1 in patient samples. Nevertheless, it has been demonstrated that a versatile and fully antibody-free sample preparation method is possible, which could be of great use in further investigations.

Unsupervised defect detection algorithm for printed fabrics using content-based image retrieval techniques

Automatic detection of printing defect technology is significant for improving printing fabrics’ appearance and quality. In this research, we proposed an unsupervised printing defect detection method by processing the difference map between the test image and the reference image. Aimed at this, we adopted a content-based image retrieval (CBIR) method to retrieve the reference image, which includes an image database, a convolutional denoising auto-encoder (CDAE) and a hash encoder (HE): the elements of image database are extracted from only one defect-free sample image of the test fabric; the CDAE prevents the system being affected by the texture of the fabric and provides a reliable feature description of the patterns; the HE indexes the feature vectors to binary code while maintaining their similarity; both CDAE and HE are trained in an unsupervised manner. With the retrieved reference image, the defect is determined by applying the Tsallis entropy thresholding and opening operation on the difference map. The method can be implemented without labeled and defective samples, and without consideration of the periodical primitive of patterns. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method in defect detection for printed fabrics with complex patterns.

Some machining and handtool properties of tetuya koroi (Albizia odoratissima) wood

The study was conducted to determine the suitability of tetuya koroi (Albizia odoratissima) wood for furniture manufacturing i.e., planing, shaping, boring, mortising, turning, etc machining and handtool property tests of this species grown in south-east Bangladesh.. The evaluation in both machining and handtool property tests was based on the frequency of the defect-free sample. Finishing property was also determined by implementing two types of polishing materials, viz.: carpa and shellac. The defects of the sample were estimated by visual and tactile observation. The percentage of defect free samples was evaluated for each property operation and classified based on five quality grades. The study's findings mainly introduced good working properties, and tetuya koroi wood may be suitable for furniture. All properties exhibited 63 % to 76 % grade 1 and 95 % to 100 % qualified grade. The finishing property of this wood showed good quality as well.