The Cu core ball contains a Cu ball and one or more metal layer for covering a surface of the Cu ball, each layer including one or more element selected from Ni, Co, Fe and Pd. The Cu ball contains at least one element selected from Fe, Ag, and Ni in a total amount of 5.0 or more to 50.0 ppm by mass or lower, S in an amount of 0 ppm by mass or more to 1.0 ppm by mass or lower, P in an amount of 0 ppm by mass or more to less than 3.0 ppm by mass, and remainder of Cu and inevitable impurities. The Cu ball contains purity which is 99.995% by mass or higher and 99.9995% or lower, sphericity which is 0.95 or higher and a diameter of 1 m or more to 1000 m or lower.

Disclosed are improved polymer materials. Also disclosed are fine fiber materials that can be made from the improved polymeric materials in the form of microfiber and nanofiber structures. The microfiber and nanofiber structures can be used in a variety of useful applications including the formation of filter materials.

A thixomolding material includes: a metal body that contains Mg as a main component; and a coating portion that is adhered to a surface of the metal body via a binder and contains SiC particles containing SiC as a main component. A mass fraction of the SiC particles in a total mass of the metal body and the SiC particles is 2.0 mass % or more and 40.0 mass % or less. The binder may contain waxes. A content of the binder may be 0.001 mass % or more and 0.200 mass % or less.

There is disclosed a substrate with an electron donating surface, characterized in having metal particles on said surface, said metal particles comprising palladium and at least one metal selected from the group consisting of gold, ruthenium, rhodium, osmium, iridium, and platinum, wherein the amount of said metal particles is from about 0.001 to about 8 g/cm.sup.2. Examples of coated objects include contact lenses, pacemakers, pacemaker electrodes, stents, dental implants, rupture nets, rupture mesh, blood centrifuge equipment, surgical instruments, gloves, blood bags, artificial heart valves, central venous catheters, peripheral venous catheters, vascular ports, haemodialysis equipment, peritoneal dialysis equipment, plasmapheresis devices, inhalation drug delivery devices, vascular grafts, arterial grafts, cardiac assist devices, wound dressings, intermittent catheters, ECG electrodes, peripheral stents, bone replacing implants, orthopaedic implants, orthopaedic devices, tissue replacing implants, intraocular lenses, sutures, needles, drug delivery devices, endotracheal tubes, shunts, drains, suction devices, hearing aid devices, urethral medical devices, and artificial blood vessels.

A microwave-induced heating of CNT filled (or coated) polymer composites for enhancing inter-bead diffusive bonding of fused filament fabricated parts. The technique incorporates microwave absorbing nanomaterials (carbon nanotubes (CNTs)) onto the surface or throughout the volume of 3D printer polymer filament to increase the inter-bead bond strength following a post microwave irradiation treatment and/or in-situ focused microwave beam during printing. The overall strength of the final 3D printed part will be dramatically increased and the isotropic mechanical properties of fused filament part will approach or exceed conventionally manufactured counterparts.

A single crystal yttrium aluminum perovskite scintillator has a minimum thickness of at least 5 mm and a transmittance of at least 50% at a wavelength of 370 nm. A method for fabricating the yttrium aluminum perovskite scintillator includes acquiring a yttrium aluminum perovskite single crystal boule, annealing the yttrium aluminum perovskite single crystal boule in an oxygen containing environment to obtain a partially annealed crystal, and annealing the partially annealed crystal in an inert environment or a reducing environment to obtain the yttrium aluminum perovskite single crystal scintillator.

A thixomolding material includes: a metal body that contains Mg as a main component; and a coating portion that is adhered to a surface of the metal body via a binder and contains SiC particles containing SiC as a main component. A mass fraction of the SiC particles in a total mass of the metal body and the SiC particles is 2.0 mass % or more and 40.0 mass % or less. The binder may contain waxes. A content of the binder may be 0.001 mass % or more and 0.200 mass % or less.

The Cu core ball contains a Cu ball and one or more metal layer for covering a surface of the Cu ball, each layer including one or more element selected from Ni, Co, Fe and Pd. The Cu ball contains at least one element selected from Fe, Ag, and Ni in a total amount of 5.0 or more to 50.0 ppm by mass or lower, S in an amount of 0 ppm by mass or more to 1.0 ppm by mass or lower, P in an amount of 0 ppm by mass or more to less than 3.0 ppm by mass, and remainder of Cu and inevitable impurities. The Cu ball contains purity which is 99.995% by mass or higher and 99.9995% or lower, sphericity which is 0.95 or higher and a diameter of 1 m or more to 1000 m or lower.

A single crystal yttrium aluminum perovskite scintillator has a minimum thickness of at least 5 mm and a transmittance of at least 50% at a wavelength of 370 nm. A method for fabricating the yttrium aluminum perovskite scintillator includes acquiring a yttrium aluminum perovskite single crystal boule, annealing the yttrium aluminum perovskite single crystal boule in an oxygen containing environment to obtain a partially annealed crystal, and annealing the partially annealed crystal in an inert environment or a reducing environment to obtain the yttrium aluminum perovskite single crystal scintillator.

An engine control system configured to operate an engine is configured to predict an expected duty cycle including an expected demand from the engine, and calculate two or more future operating conditions, each future operating condition including engine control parameters that, when used to control the engine, are expected to result in the engine meeting the expected demand. One of the future operating conditions is selected, and a present operation of the engine is adjusted in response to the selected future operating condition. A vehicle and/or offroad diesel apparatus may comprise the engine control system.