The hydrogen embrittlement of Ni-Cr-Fe alloys

It has been proposed that the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of nickel-based alloys in low-temperature hydrogenated water is due to hydrogen embrittlement. The purpose of this work was to investigate the role of chromium on hydrogen embrittlement of Ni-Cr-Fe alloys and thus develop a better understanding of the low-temperature SCC phenomenon. The effect of chromium on the hydrogen embrittlement was examined using tensile tests followed by material evaluation via scanning electron microscopy and light optical microscopy. Four alloys were prepared with chromium contents ranging from 6 wt. percent to 35 wt. percent. In the noncharged condition, ductility, as measured by the percent elongation or reduction in area, increased as the alloy chromium content increased. Hydrogen appeared to have only minor effects on the mechanical properties of the low chromium alloys. The addition of hydrogen had a marked effect on the ductility of the higher chromium alloys. In the 26% chromium alloy, the elongation to failure was reduced from 53% to 14% with a change in fracture mode from ductile dimple to intergranular failure. A maximum in embrittlement was observed in the 26% Cr alloy. The maximum in embrittlement coincided with the minimum in stacking-fault energy. It is proposed that the increased hydrogen embrittlement in the high-chromium alloys is due to increased slip planarity caused by the low stacking-fault energy. Slip planarity did not appear to affect the fracture of the noncharged specimens

C1 inhibitor deficiency: 2014 United Kingdom consensus document

C1 inhibitor deficiency is a rare disorder manifesting with recurrent attacks of disabling and potentially life-threatening angioedema. Here we present an updated 2014 United Kingdom consensus document for the management of C1 inhibitor-deficient patients, representing a joint venture between the United Kingdom Primary Immunodeficiency Network and Hereditary Angioedema UK. To develop the consensus, we assembled a multi-disciplinary steering group of clinicians, nurses and a patient representative. This steering group first met in 2012, developing a total of 48 recommendations across 11 themes. The statements were distributed to relevant clinicians and a representative group of patients to be scored for agreement on a Likert scale. All 48 statements achieved a high degree of consensus, indicating strong alignment of opinion. The recommendations have evolved significantly since the 2005 document, with particularly notable developments including an improved evidence base to guide dosing and indications for acute treatment, greater emphasis on home therapy for acute attacks and a strong focus on service organisation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Measurement of complex fragments and clues to the entropy production from 42-137-MeV/nucleon Ar + Au

Intermediate-rapidity fragments with A=1-14 emitted from 42-137-MeV/nucleon Ar + Au have been measured. Evidence is presented that these fragments arise from a common moving source. Entropy values are extracted from the mass distributions by use of quantum statistical and Hauser-Feshbach theories. The extracted entropy values of S/A≈2-2.4 are much smaller than the values expected from measured deuteron-to-proton ratios, but are still considerably higher than theoretically predicted values

Metal-Insulator oscillations in a Two-dimensional Electron-Hole system

The electrical transport properties of a bipolar InAs/GaSb system have been studied in magnetic field. The resistivity oscillates between insulating and metallic behaviour while the quantum Hall effect shows a digital character oscillating from 0 to 1 conducatance quantum e^2/h. The insulating behaviour is attributed to the formation of a total energy gap in the system. A novel looped edge state picture is proposed associated with the appearance of a voltage between Hall probes which is symmetric on magnetic field reversal.Comment: 4 pages, 5 Postscript figures: revised versio

Implications of new measurements of O-16 + p + C-12,13, N-14,15 for the abundances of C, N isotopes at the cosmic ray source

The fragmentation of a 225 MeV/n O-16 beam was investigated at the Bevalac. Preliminary cross sections for mass = 13, 14, 15 fragments are used to constrain the nuclear excitation functions employed in galactic propagation calculations. Comparison to cosmic ray isotonic data at low energies shows that in the cosmic ray source C-13/C approximately 2% and N-14/0=3-6%. No source abundance of N-15 is required with the current experimental results

Mate preferences in Argentinean transgender people:An evolutionary perspective

Transgender people provide a unique opportunity to examine the effect of biological sex versus gender identity on mating preferences. This study aimed at identifying the mate characteristics that are most and least valued by transgender people and at examining to what extent their biological sex or their gender identity determined their mate preferences. A convenience sample of 134 male-to-female (MTF) and 94 female-to-male (FTM) individuals from Argentina rated Buss's list of 18 mate attributes. Compared to FTM, MTF individuals placed significantly more emphasis on attractiveness and socioeconomic status, whereas FTM, more than MTF individuals, valued partners with a dependable character. Although biological sex differences were present in both groups, providing support to the evolutionary theory, MTF individuals valued the same characteristics as both biological male and female individuals do.Fil: Aristegui, Ines. Universidad de Palermo. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. Departamento de Psicología. Centro de Investigación y Posgrados; Argentina. University of Groningen; Países BajosFil: Castro Solano, Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Palermo. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. Departamento de Psicología. Centro de Investigación y Posgrados; ArgentinaFil: Buunk, Abraham P.. Universidad de Palermo. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. Departamento de Psicología. Centro de Investigación y Posgrados; Argentin

The relationship between observed stress corrosion cracking fracture morphology and microstructure in Alloy 600

Microstructure is known to influence the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior of Alloy 600 in both hydrogenated water and steam environments. This study evaluated the relative SCC response of a single heat of Alloy 600 as a function of microstructure in a hydrogenated doped-steam environment. The 400 C doped-steam environment was selected for the SCC tests to accelerate cracking. The material was evaluated in three conditions: (1) as-received (2) as-annealed, and (3) as-annealed + 26% deformation. Microstructural characterization was performed using analytical electron microscopy (AEM) techniques for the evaluation of carbide type and morphology, and general structure. Constant displacement (bolt-loaded) compact tension specimens were used to induce SCC. The as-annealed and as-annealed plus cold worked samples had two fracture morphologies: a rough intergranular SCC fracture morphology and a smooth intergranular fracture morphology. The SCC fracture in the as-received specimens was characterized by a classic intergranular morphology at low magnification, consistent with the microstructural evaluation of cross-sectional metallographic samples. More detailed examination revealed a pseudo-intergranular fracture morphology. This pseudo-intergranular morphology appears to be comprised of very fine cleavage-like microfacets. These observations may assist in understanding the difference in SCC fracture morphologies as reported in the open literature

The resurrection of group selection as a theory of human cooperation

Two books edited by members of the MacArthur Norms and Preferences Network (an interdisciplinary group, mainly anthropologists and economists) are reviewed here. These books in large part reflect a renewed interest in group selection that has occurred among these researchers: they promote the theory that human cooperative behavior evolved via selective processes which favored biological and/or cultural group-level adaptations as opposed to individual-level adaptations. In support of this theory, an impressive collection of cross-cultural data are presented which suggest that participants in experimental economic games often do not behave as self-interested income maximizers; this lack of self-interest is regarded as evidence of group selection. In this review, problems with these data and with the theory are discussed. On the data side, it is argued that even if a behavior seems individually-maladaptive in a game context, there is no reason to believe that it would have been that way in ancestral contexts, since the environments of experimental games do not at all resemble those in which ancestral humans would have interacted cooperatively. And on the theory side, it is argued that it is premature to invoke group selection in order to explain human cooperation, because more parsimonious individual-level theories have not yet been exhausted. In summary, these books represent ambitious interdisciplinary contributions on an important topic, and they include unique and useful data; however, they do not make a convincing case that the evolution of human cooperation required group selection