The mechanism of the surface alloy layer creation for cast steel

The paper presents a detailed description of the process of creation of a surface alloy layer (using high-carbon ferrochromium) on the cast steel casting. The mechanism of the surface alloy layer is based on the known theories [5,6]. The proposed course of formation of the layers has been extended to decarburization stage of steel. The research included proving the presence of carbon-lean zone. The experiment included the analysis of the distribution of elements and microhardness measurement

The effect of consumer ratings and attentional allocation on product valuations

Online marketplaces allow consumers to leave reviews about the products they purchase, which are visible to potential customers and competitors. While the impact of reviews on valuations of worth and purchasing decisions has been intensively studied, little is known about how the reviews themselves are attended to, and the relation between attention and valuations. In three studies we use eye-tracking methodologies to investigate attention in subjective monetary valuations of consumer goods. We find that, when evaluating consumer goods, individuals’ attention to ratings are related to their frequencies, attention to positive or negative information is related to subjective valuations, and that perspective (owner vs. non-owner) influences the type of information attended to. These findings extend previous research regarding the valuations of risky prospects as implemented in abstract monetary gambles and suggest that similar cognitive processes might underlie both types of tasks

Income inequality, income, and internet searches for status goods : a cross-national study of the association between inequality and well-being

Is there a positive association between a nation’s income inequality and concerns with status competition within that nation? Here we use Google Correlate and Google Trends to examine frequency of internet search terms and find that people in countries in which income inequality is high search relatively more frequently for positional brand names such as Prada, Louis Vuitton, or Chanel. This tendency is stronger among well-developed countries. We find no evidence that income alone is associated with searches for positional goods. We also present evidence that the concern with positional goods does not reflect non-linear effects of income on consumer spending, either across nations or (extending previous findings that people who live in unequal US States search more for positional goods) within the USA. It is concluded that income inequality is associated with greater concerns with positional goods, and that this concern is reflected in internet searching behaviour

Classical transverse Ising spin glass with short- range interaction beyond the mean field approximation

The classical transverse field Ising spin- glass model with short-range interactions is investigated beyond the mean- field approximation for a real d- dimensional lattice. We use an appropriate nontrivial modification of the Bethe- Peierls method recently formulated for the Ising spin- glass. The zero- temperature critical value of the transverse field and the linear susceptibility in the paramagnetic phase are obtained analytically as functions of dimensionality d. The phase diagram is also calculated numerically for different values of d. In the limit d -> infinity, known mean- field results are consistently reproduced.Comment: LaTex, 11 pages, 2 figure

Rapid e-learning tools on the moodle platform

One of the most frequently highlighted problems regarding online teaching reported by teachers is the time and effort required to prepare and regularly update attractive e-content. This is particularly true for multimedia content. On the other hand, the problem often reported by students is the low aesthetic value and teachers’ failure to produce materials that students deem to be aesthetically attractive. This article presents some suggestions on possible ways to control and manage the visual side of e-content

Associations between recalled use of legal UK youth gambling products and adult disordered gambling

Background and aims: The UK allows a number of gambling products to be legally used by people under the age of 18. The aim of this study was to explore associations between recalled legal usage of five youth gambling products and adult disordered gambling. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study of 1,057 adult UK gamblers, aged 18–40. Recalled legal use of five youth gambling products (category D fruit machines, coin push machines, crane grab machines, the National Lottery, and National Lottery scratchcards) was correlated with adult disordered gambling symptoms as measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). Results: Recalled rates of legal engagement with each product ranged from 50.9% for Category D fruit machines to 96.6% for coin push machines. For category D fruit machines, the National Lottery, and National Lottery scratchcards, merely having legally engaged with these products as a child was associated with adult disordered gambling. Furthermore, higher levels of recalled legal youth usage with each of the five products was also associated with adult disordered gambling. Discussion and conclusions: These results relate to recent government proposals to increase the National Lottery scratchcard legal age to 18, and add to a wider literature on youth gambling and subsequent gambling-related harm

Incomparability and incommensurability in choice : no common currency of value?

Models of decision-making typically assume the existence of some common currency of value, such as utility, happiness, or inclusive fitness. This common currency is taken to allow comparison of options and to underpin everyday choice. Here we suggest instead that there is no universal value scale, that incommensurable values pervade everyday choice, and hence that most existing models of decision-making in both economics and psychology are fundamentally limited. We propose that choice objects can be compared only with reference to specific but nonuniversal “covering values.” These covering values may reflect decision-makers’ goals, motivations, or current states. A complete model of choice must accommodate the range of possible covering values. We show that abandoning the common-currency assumption in models of judgment and decision-making necessitates rank-based and “simple heuristics” models that contrast radically with conventional utility-based approaches. We note that if there is no universal value scale, then Arrow’s impossibility theorem places severe bounds on the rationality of individual decision-making and hence that there is a deep link between the incommensurability of value, inconsistencies in human decision-making, and rank-based coding of value. More generally, incommensurability raises the question of whether it will ever be possible to develop single-quantity-maximizing models of decision-making

Models of deliberate ignorance in individual choice

This chapter reviews models of deliberate ignorance and argues that models developed in both psychology and economics may be useful in understanding different aspects of deliberate ignorance. Such models must specify what quantity is increased at the expense of the potential benefits of the ignored information. A model classification is developed based on the quantity that different models assumed to be so increased. Three broad classes of relevant models are identified: (a) models that assume that utility associated with the content of beliefs may be increased by deliberate ignorance, (b) models that assume that the consistency of beliefs with each other or with a sense of identity may be increased by deliberate ignorance, and (c) models that assume that the quality of decision making may be increased by deliberate ignorance. Gaps in the literature are identified. In particular, it is suggested that insufficient attention has been given to the distinction between the effects on an agent’s utility of acquiring information (a one-off change) and possession of information (being in a steady-state of changed beliefs). Ultimately, models of deliberate ignorance will need to address the relationship between people’s (often partial and contradictory) knowledge about the world and their reasoning about that world

Ground-State Phase Diagram of the Two-Dimensional Quantum Heisenberg Mattis Model

The two-dimensional $S=1/2$ asymmetric Heisenberg Mattis model is investigated with the exact diagonalization of finite clusters. The N\'eel order parameter and the spin glass order parameter can be smoothly extrapolated to the thermodynamic limit in the antiferromagnetic region, as in the pure Heisenberg antiferromagnet. The critical concentration of the N\'eel phase is consistent with that of the two-dimensional Ising Mattis model, and the spin glass order parameter increases monotonously as the ferro-bond concentration increases. These facts suggest that quantum fluctuation does not play an essential role in two-dimensional non-frustrated random spin systems. KEYWORDS: quantum spin system, ground state, randomness, Mattis model, N\'eel order, spin glass orderComment: 10 pages, LaTeX, 6 compressed/uuencoded postscript figures, J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 65 (1996) No. 2 in pres