With the ever-increasing importance of nanoscale deformation phenomena in contemporary technologies, basic understanding of material behavior at the nanoscale has become of critical importance. Especially, nanomechanical testing that provides the capability to study fundamental nanoscale deformation and phase change phenomena in real time and under controlled loading conditions is essential for nanomaterial research. In this study, acoustic emission (AE) was used in situ to characterize nanoindentation-induced deformation, microfracture, and phase transformation processes intrinsic of bulk single-crystal MgO and polycrystalline Al, thin films of polycrystalline SiC, and thick films of austenitic TiNi shape-memory alloy. Scale-dependent plastic deformation and microfracture affected by the indenter tip radius and the applied normal load are interpreted in terms of the type and intensity of AE events revealed by abrupt displacement excursions in the loading response of the indented materials. The amplitudes of AE waveforms are used to examine characteristic deformation, microfracture, and phase change mechanisms in the time domain. Fast Fourier transformation and short-time Fourier transformation analyses provide further insight into the material behavior and structural changes due to indentation loading in the frequency and time-frequency domain, respectively. The methodology developed in this study represents an effective approach for nanomechanical testing and in situ characterization of nanoscale deformation, microfracture, and phase transformation phenomena.

The influences of Chinese traditional culture, especially the traditional Three Teachings and folk religion, on the Mandarin Union Version of the Chinese Bible (first edition, 1919) and the resulting complications are explicit in some contexts but implicit and subtle in other contexts. Some influences are helpful for Chinese people's proper understanding of biblical truth and theology in a Chinese context, but other influences can be misleading. In this paper, I will examine three translated Chinese phrases in the Mandarin Union Version that show evidence of Ruist influences: (1) “xūxīn de rén” “虛心的人”, in Matthew 5:3, (2) “tiānguó shì nǔlì jìnrù de﹐nǔlì de rén jiù dézháole” “天國是努力進入的﹐努力的人就得著了”, Matthew 11:12, and (3) “lǎoliàn” “老練”in Romans 5:4. Ruist influences is explicit in the first two cases but implicit in the third case, I will first analyze the verses and argue that they reflect the dominant Ruist ideology of moral self-cultivation instead of the biblical vision of transformation by “gracious moral cultivation”. Then I will demonstrate how Chinese readers might respond based on the context of each verse: Some Chinese readers might detect the inconsistenices between the Ruist emphasis on moral self-cultivation and a more general biblical theology, especially in an intertextual context of other Bible passages that explicitly teach the total depravity of human beings (e.g. Romans), as well as reconciliation and redemption by the free gift of Christ's grace for salvation and sanctification (e.g. Ephesians). Other Chinese readers might be misled by Ruist suggestions that they pursue sanctification and transformation only by means of moral self-cultivation that relies solely on their willpower. I will conclude by arguing how mistranslating and misinterpreting these verses can cause possible complications, especially negatively masking behaviour, in the personal and interpersonal spiritual transformation and ecclesiological development among Chinese Christians.

In this study, precipitate phase transformation behavior, microstructure, and properties of the Cu–1Cr–1Co–0.4Si (wt%) alloy were investigated. Precipitate phase transformation kinetic equations of the alloy under room temperature rolling (RTR) 90% deformation and aging at different temperatures (440–520 °C) were established. The alloy yielded excellent mechanical and electrical properties under RTR 90% deformation and aging at 440 °C for 1 h, and the corresponding hardness, yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength (UTS), elongation, and electrical conductivity were 181.6 HV, 573.6 MPa, 653.7 MPa, 7.3%, and 51.6% International Annealed Copper Standard, respectively. The precipitate phase transformation behavior determined the size and volume fraction of the precipitate phase fv, which played a key role in improving the YS. Impurity scattering caused by surplus Si atoms was mainly responsible for decreasing the electrical conductivity. Therefore, these results can provide a reliable theoretical guidance to prepare Cu–Cr–based alloys with high strength and high electrical conductivity.

Phase change materials (PCMs) are getting increasing interest due to their capacity to absorb, store and release heat energy. Their effectiveness is characterized by quantities of absorbed/released heat energy, expressed as enthalpy. Specifically, the larger is the enthalpy, the more efficient thermoregulation effect is achieved. With this in mind, PCMs can be used in the manufacture of thermally regulated clothing in order to minimize heat strain and simultaneously improve thermal comfort. Moreover, such materials also modify their infrared radiation emission during phase transition, thus they can be envisioned to exploit thermal shielding applications. The aim of the present research was to investigate the infrared emissivity of textiles composed by cotton yarns with dispersed PCMs. The organic microcapsules of phase change materials, having different binding to the fibre mechanisms, were padded onto the fabric surface by pad-dry-cure method. The thermal properties and stabilities were measured using differential scanning calorimetry, while infrared emissivity was characterized using infrared thermographic technique. The obtained experimental results show a dynamic tuning of IR emissivity during heating/cooling process which can be correlated to the type and properties (enthalpy of fusion) of the corresponding PCM.

Melting, solidification and solid-state transformation of the intermetallic Ni3Sn compound were investigated in situ using synchrotron high-energy X-ray diffraction. It was observed that the compound undergoes a hexagonal to cubic transition before melting. In solidification, a disordered cubic phase crystallizes from the liquid at a large undercooling but it is reordered prior to bulk solidification. In melting and solidification, forced or natural flows are active bringing about significant changes of crystal orientations. These in situ observations provided insights into phase transformations of Ni3Sn at elevated temperatures and their roles in formation of metastable microstructure consisting of coarse grains and subgrains.

Much scholarly attention has been given to the potentially disruptive distributional implications of new technologies in labor markets. Less explored is the way citizens as socially embedded individuals perceive and respond to technological transformation. This study fills this gap by exploring how welfare state institutions shape and are shaped by citizens’ perceptions of technological transformation. My analysis covering over 50 developed and developing countries finds that welfare state generosity is associated with a greater acceptance of technological change. I also provide evidence consistent with the expectation that labor market interventions of the welfare state have the potential to reduce the skill cleavage over technological transformation by mitigating the insecurity faced by the low-skilled. Additionally, citizens embracing technological transformation are more supportive of the welfare state than techno-skeptics are.

The paper interrogates the argument put forward by Acemoglu and Robinson or North et al. that capitalism and democracy are supportive to each other. It analyzes the development of political and economic institutions in Germany before and after World War I. It is shown that the lack of democracy in Imperial Germany furthered a liberal economic order and gives reasons why the transition to full-scale parliamentarianism would have impaired the quality of economic institutions. This also explains why such a transition was not completed. The Weimar Republic established a modern democracy but was unable to secure the quality of economic institutions achieved before. Not only in Germany did the politicization of the economy impair the economic order. This empirical outcome helps to explain why Eucken and other liberals identified democracy as part of the economic problem during the interwar period. It also gives reasons to rethink the complex relationship between capitalism and democracy.

The unique properties of graphene have led to the use of this allotrope of carbon in a wide range of applications, including semiconductors, energy devices, diffusion barriers, heat spreaders, and protective overcoats. The synthesis of graphene by process methods that either directly or indirectly rely on physical vapor deposition, thermal annealing, laser irradiation, and ion/electron beam irradiation has drawn significant attention in recent years, mainly because they can provide high purity, low temperature, high throughput, and controllable growth of graphene on various substrates. This article provides a comprehensive assessment of these methods by grouping them into two main categories, i.e., indirect methods in which a carbon layer is first deposited on a substrate and then converted to graphene by some type of energetic post-treatment process and direct methods in which graphene is directly synthesized on a substrate surface by a process that uses a solid carbon source. The underlying growth mechanisms of these processes and the challenging issues that need to be overcome before further advances in graphene synthesis can occur are interpreted in the context of published results.

We study the long-standing problem of the existence of non-Berwaldian Landsberg spaces from the perspective of conformal transformations. We calculate the Berwald and Landsberg tensors in terms of the T-tensor and show that there are Landsberg spaces with nonvanishing T-tensor. We give a necessary condition for a Landsberg space to be Berwaldian. We find conditions under which the Landsberg spaces cannot be Berwaldian and give examples of ( $y$ -local) non-Berwaldian Landsberg spaces.