title: Tensile properties and fracture behaviour of an ultrafine grained Ti–47Al–2Cr (at.%) alloy at room and elevated temperatures

authors: Nadakuduru, Vijay Navaratna

subjects: brittle to ductile transition temperature

abstract: An ultrafine grained (UFG) Ti–47Al–2Cr (at.%) alloy has been synthesized using a combination of high energy mechanical milling and hot isostatic pressing (HIP) of a Ti/Al/Cr composite powder compact. The material produced has been tensile tested at room temperature, 700 and 800 °C, respectively, and the microstructure of the as-HIPed material and the microstructure and fracture surfaces of the tensile tested specimens have been examined using X-ray diffractometry, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The alloy shows no ductility during tensile testing at room temperature and 700 °C, respectively, but very high ductility (elongation to fracture 70–100%) when tensile tested 800 °C, indicating that its brittle to ductile transition temperature (BDTT) falls within the temperature range of 700–800 °C. The retaining of ultrafine fine equiaxed grain morphology after the large amount of plastic deformation of the specimens tensile tested at 800 °C and the clear morphology of individual grains in the fractured surface indicate that grain boundary sliding is the predominant deformation mechanism of plastic deformation of the UFG TiAl based alloy at 800 °C. Cavitation occurs at locations fairly uniformly distributed throughout the gauge length sections of the specimens tensile tested at 800 °C, again supporting the postulation that grain boundary sliding is the dominant mechanism of the plastic deformation of the UFG TiAl alloys at temperatures above their BDTT. The high ductility of the UFG alloy at 800 °C and its fairly low BDTT indicates that the material a highly favourable precursor for secondary thermomechanical processing.

text: Tensile properties and fracture behaviour of an ultrafine grained Ti–47Al–2Cr (at.%) alloy at room and elevated temperatures An ultrafine grained (UFG) Ti–47Al–2Cr (at.%) alloy has been synthesized using a combination of high energy mechanical milling and hot isostatic pressing (HIP) of a Ti/Al/Cr composite powder compact. The material produced has been tensile tested at room temperature, 700 and 800 °C, respectively, and the microstructure of the as-HIPed material and the microstructure and fracture surfaces of the tensile tested specimens have been examined using X-ray diffractometry, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The alloy shows no ductility during tensile testing at room temperature and 700 °C, respectively, but very high ductility (elongation to fracture 70–100%) when tensile tested 800 °C, indicating that its brittle to ductile transition temperature (BDTT) falls within the temperature range of 700–800 °C. The retaining of ultrafine fine equiaxed grain morphology after the large amount of plastic deformation of the specimens tensile tested at 800 °C and the clear morphology of individual grains in the fractured surface indicate that grain boundary sliding is the predominant deformation mechanism of plastic deformation of the UFG TiAl based alloy at 800 °C. Cavitation occurs at locations fairly uniformly distributed throughout the gauge length sections of the specimens tensile tested at 800 °C, again supporting the postulation that grain boundary sliding is the dominant mechanism of the plastic deformation of the UFG TiAl alloys at temperatures above their BDTT. The high ductility of the UFG alloy at 800 °C and its fairly low BDTT indicates that the material a highly favourable precursor for secondary thermomechanical processing.

year: 2012

title: Islamism and Islamic fundamentalism in the Middle East and North Africa

authors: Siyad, Michael Haley

abstract: This thesis analyses the impact of Islamism in the Middle East and North Africa. In the name of Islam, Islamist groups have embarked upon a path of violence and terrorism. The primary objective of the thesis is to critically analyse the ideas, approaches and implications of Islamism. Firstly, by examining whether economic despair breeds Islamism or what is happening in the Middle East and North Africa, which is a revolt against its own decay and humiliation, has taken the form of a return to the roots of radical Islam. Secondly, the way in which few Muslim governments dare to challenge the Islamists on theological, political and economic grounds. Thirdly, the manner which this influences modernisation and development in the region? Fourthly, the way which regimes respond to the challenge?
The second objective of the thesis is to analyse the compatibility of Islam with democracy. It is argued that Islam has difficulty absorbing the idea that mankind is destined to progress, and that innovation can bring improvement to life. This argument is further explored in the light of cultural, theo-political, and socio-economic issues.
The thesis also provides a terminological definition of Islamism and Fundamentalism. It analyses the activities of Islamist organisations in the Middle and North Africa, and argues the potential threat, which they present. In this manner the circumstances of the Islamists religious justification for their actions are analysed. At the same time the thesis examines the complexities underlying the concepts of jihad, holy war, and terrorism. 
The thesis also analyses the confrontation between the rhetoric of Islamist activists and the reality of Muslim politics. It is suggested the growth of these extremist organisations may be linked first and foremost to the social and economic problems created by underdevelopment and economic stagnation. Moreover, it is argued that lack of good government and corruption, which have characterised large parts of the Arab and Muslim world in the past few decades have played a significant role in this confrontation. It argues these hardships have led many ordinary Arabs and Muslims to embrace radical Islam, which offers them an escape from the difficulties of daily life, hope for social justice and the expectation that religion would provide the answer to all their aspirations. It is argued that the general trend of ‘returning to Islam’ aims to correct society in a step-by-step process to instil the values of the religion as a way of life, while the Islamist organisations have turned the phenomenon into a lever to fulfil their political aim through violence and terrorism.
The thesis examines a country-specific case study of the activities of Islamist groups in seven countries of the region: Egypt, Jordan, Algeria, Iran, Lebanon, Israel and Saudi Arabia. This approach enables conclusions to be reached that Islamism presents a genuine danger to the stability of many regimes in the region, and involves a tireless struggle to subvert government authority by employing terrorism aimed at destabilising and toppling the regime.
The thesis concludes that in the likely trend of Islamist influence in the Middle East and North Africa, one would need to pay more attention to those variables that are in constant change in a period of rising Islamisation.

text: Islamism and Islamic fundamentalism in the Middle East and North Africa This thesis analyses the impact of Islamism in the Middle East and North Africa. In the name of Islam, Islamist groups have embarked upon a path of violence and terrorism. The primary objective of the thesis is to critically analyse the ideas, approaches and implications of Islamism. Firstly, by examining whether economic despair breeds Islamism or what is happening in the Middle East and North Africa, which is a revolt against its own decay and humiliation, has taken the form of a return to the roots of radical Islam. Secondly, the way in which few Muslim governments dare to challenge the Islamists on theological, political and economic grounds. Thirdly, the manner which this influences modernisation and development in the region? Fourthly, the way which regimes respond to the challenge?
The second objective of the thesis is to analyse the compatibility of Islam with democracy. It is argued that Islam has difficulty absorbing the idea that mankind is destined to progress, and that innovation can bring improvement to life. This argument is further explored in the light of cultural, theo-political, and socio-economic issues.
The thesis also provides a terminological definition of Islamism and Fundamentalism. It analyses the activities of Islamist organisations in the Middle and North Africa, and argues the potential threat, which they present. In this manner the circumstances of the Islamists religious justification for their actions are analysed. At the same time the thesis examines the complexities underlying the concepts of jihad, holy war, and terrorism. 
The thesis also analyses the confrontation between the rhetoric of Islamist activists and the reality of Muslim politics. It is suggested the growth of these extremist organisations may be linked first and foremost to the social and economic problems created by underdevelopment and economic stagnation. Moreover, it is argued that lack of good government and corruption, which have characterised large parts of the Arab and Muslim world in the past few decades have played a significant role in this confrontation. It argues these hardships have led many ordinary Arabs and Muslims to embrace radical Islam, which offers them an escape from the difficulties of daily life, hope for social justice and the expectation that religion would provide the answer to all their aspirations. It is argued that the general trend of ‘returning to Islam’ aims to correct society in a step-by-step process to instil the values of the religion as a way of life, while the Islamist organisations have turned the phenomenon into a lever to fulfil their political aim through violence and terrorism.
The thesis examines a country-specific case study of the activities of Islamist groups in seven countries of the region: Egypt, Jordan, Algeria, Iran, Lebanon, Israel and Saudi Arabia. This approach enables conclusions to be reached that Islamism presents a genuine danger to the stability of many regimes in the region, and involves a tireless struggle to subvert government authority by employing terrorism aimed at destabilising and toppling the regime.
The thesis concludes that in the likely trend of Islamist influence in the Middle East and North Africa, one would need to pay more attention to those variables that are in constant change in a period of rising Islamisation.

year: 2003

title: Colouring in the White Spaces: Reclaiming Cultural Identity in Whitestream Schools

authors: Milne, Beverley Ann

subjects: Maori education

abstract: If we look at a child’s colouring book, before it has any colour added to it, we think of the page as blank.  It’s actually not blank, it’s white.  That white background is just “there” and we don’t think much about it.  Not only is the background uniformly white, the lines are already in place and they dictate where the colour is allowed to go.  When children are young, they don’t care where they put the colours, but as they get older they colour in more and more cautiously. They learn about the place of colour and the importance of staying within the pre-determined boundaries and expectations. 

This thesis argues that this is the setting for our mainstream, or what I have called, whitestream New Zealand schools — that white background is the norm.   When we talk about multiculturalism and diversity what we are really referring to is the colour of the children, or their difference from that white norm, and how they don’t fit perfectly inside our lines.  If the colour of the space doesn’t change schools are still in the business of assimilation, relegating non-white children to the margins, no matter how many school reform initiatives, new curricula, strategic plans, or mandated standards we implement.  What the schools in this study have tried to do is change the colour of the space – so that the space fits the children and they don’t have to constantly adjust to fit in.  

New Zealand’s education system has been largely silent on the topic of whiteness and the Eurocentric nature of our schooling policy and practice. However, when I talk to senior Māori and Pasifika ‘warrior-scholars” in Te Whānau o Tupuranga and Clover Park Middle School about “white spaces” they have encountered in their schooling experience they can identify them all too easily.  “White spaces,” they explain, are anything you accept as “normal” for Māori – when it’s really not,  any situation that prevents, or works against you “being Māori” or who you are, and that requires you to “be” someone else and leave your beliefs behind. White spaces are spaces that allow you to require less of yourself and that reinforce stereotypes and negative ideas about Māori.  Most telling of all was the comment from a Māori student that goes straight to the root of the problem, “White spaces are everywhere,” she said, “even in your head.”

This thesis describes the 25 year journey of two schools and their community’s determination to resist and reject alienating school environments in favour of a relevant culturally-located, bilingual learning model based in a secure cultural identity, stable positive relationships, and aroha (authentic caring and love).  While the research design is a case study, in terms of western, “white space” academic tradition, it is also a story in terms of kaupapa Māori and critical race methodology. More importantly, it is a counter-story that chronicles the efforts of these two schools to step outside education’s “white spaces” to create new space.  This counter-story is juxtaposed against pervasive, deficit-driven whitestream explanations of “achievement gaps” and the “long tail” of Māori and Pasifika “under-achievement” in New Zealand schools.  In the process of this research the focus shifted from how could Māori and Pasifika learners develop secure cultural identities in mainstream schools, to examining what barriers exist in schools that prevent this from happening already?  As these issues became clear the language of the thesis shifted accordingly; “developing” a cultural identity was reframed as a reclamation of educational sovereignty — the absolute right to “be Māori” or “be Pasifika” in school — and “mainstream” schooling became better understood as the “whitestream.” 

The study hopes to contribute to the journey other schools might take to identify and name their own white spaces, and to make learning equitable for indigenous and minoritised learners.

text: Colouring in the White Spaces: Reclaiming Cultural Identity in Whitestream Schools If we look at a child’s colouring book, before it has any colour added to it, we think of the page as blank.  It’s actually not blank, it’s white.  That white background is just “there” and we don’t think much about it.  Not only is the background uniformly white, the lines are already in place and they dictate where the colour is allowed to go.  When children are young, they don’t care where they put the colours, but as they get older they colour in more and more cautiously. They learn about the place of colour and the importance of staying within the pre-determined boundaries and expectations. 

This thesis argues that this is the setting for our mainstream, or what I have called, whitestream New Zealand schools — that white background is the norm.   When we talk about multiculturalism and diversity what we are really referring to is the colour of the children, or their difference from that white norm, and how they don’t fit perfectly inside our lines.  If the colour of the space doesn’t change schools are still in the business of assimilation, relegating non-white children to the margins, no matter how many school reform initiatives, new curricula, strategic plans, or mandated standards we implement.  What the schools in this study have tried to do is change the colour of the space – so that the space fits the children and they don’t have to constantly adjust to fit in.  

New Zealand’s education system has been largely silent on the topic of whiteness and the Eurocentric nature of our schooling policy and practice. However, when I talk to senior Māori and Pasifika ‘warrior-scholars” in Te Whānau o Tupuranga and Clover Park Middle School about “white spaces” they have encountered in their schooling experience they can identify them all too easily.  “White spaces,” they explain, are anything you accept as “normal” for Māori – when it’s really not,  any situation that prevents, or works against you “being Māori” or who you are, and that requires you to “be” someone else and leave your beliefs behind. White spaces are spaces that allow you to require less of yourself and that reinforce stereotypes and negative ideas about Māori.  Most telling of all was the comment from a Māori student that goes straight to the root of the problem, “White spaces are everywhere,” she said, “even in your head.”

This thesis describes the 25 year journey of two schools and their community’s determination to resist and reject alienating school environments in favour of a relevant culturally-located, bilingual learning model based in a secure cultural identity, stable positive relationships, and aroha (authentic caring and love).  While the research design is a case study, in terms of western, “white space” academic tradition, it is also a story in terms of kaupapa Māori and critical race methodology. More importantly, it is a counter-story that chronicles the efforts of these two schools to step outside education’s “white spaces” to create new space.  This counter-story is juxtaposed against pervasive, deficit-driven whitestream explanations of “achievement gaps” and the “long tail” of Māori and Pasifika “under-achievement” in New Zealand schools.  In the process of this research the focus shifted from how could Māori and Pasifika learners develop secure cultural identities in mainstream schools, to examining what barriers exist in schools that prevent this from happening already?  As these issues became clear the language of the thesis shifted accordingly; “developing” a cultural identity was reframed as a reclamation of educational sovereignty — the absolute right to “be Māori” or “be Pasifika” in school — and “mainstream” schooling became better understood as the “whitestream.” 

The study hopes to contribute to the journey other schools might take to identify and name their own white spaces, and to make learning equitable for indigenous and minoritised learners.

year: 2013