Heusler alloy ${\mathrm{Mn}}_{50}{\mathrm{Ni}}_{40}{\mathrm{In}}_{10}$ was produced as preferentially textured ribbon flakes by melt spinning, finding the existence of martensitic-austenic transformation with both phases exhibiting ferromagnetic ordering. A microcrystalline three-layered microstructure of ordered columnar grains grown perpendicularly to ribbon plane was formed between two thin layers of smaller grains. The characteristic temperatures of the martensitic transformation were $M_S=213\mathrm{K}$ , $M_f=173\mathrm{K}$ , $A_S=222\mathrm{K}$ , and $A_f=243\mathrm{K}$ . Austenite phase shows a cubic $L{2}_1$ structure ($a=0.6013\left(3\right)\mathrm{nm}$ at $298\mathrm{K}$ and a Curie point of $311\mathrm{K}$ ), transforming into a modulated fourteen-layer modulation monoclinic martensite.

This is an Author's Original Manuscript of an article published in Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 2014, vol. 39, núm. 5, p. 592-610, available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2013.860077Peer assessment provides students with multiple benefits during their learning process. The aim of our study is to examine students' perception of peer assessment. Questionnaires were administered before and after the peer-assessment process to 416 students studying 11 different subjects in four different fields taught at the University of Girona. Results suggest that students have a positive predisposition towards this methodology, both before and after its implementation. Students perceive it as a both motivating and recommended methodology that facilitates the acquisition of learning at different levels. As for its limitations, students highlight the responsibility that comes with it and a certain amount of distrust in fellow students' abilities to peer-asses

Heusler alloys, which were unintentionally discovered at the start of the 20th century, have become intriguing materials for many extraordinary functional applications in the 21st century, including smart devices, spintronics, magnetic refrigeration and the shape memory effect. With this review article, we would like to provide a comprehensive review on the recent progress in the development of Heusler alloys, especially Ni-Mn based ones, focusing on their structural crystallinity, order-disorder atoms, phase changes and magnetic ordering atoms. The characterization of the different structures of these types of materials is needed, where a detailed exploration of the crystal structure is presented, encompassing the influence of temperature and compositional variations on the exhibited phases. Hence, this class of materials, present at high temperatures, consist of an ordered austenite with a face-centered cubic (FCC) superlattice as an L2₁ structure, or body-centered cubic (BCC) unit cell as a B2 structure. However, a low-temperature martensite structure can be produced as an L10, 10M or 14M martensite structures. The crystal lattice structure is highly dependent on the specific elements comprising the alloy. Additionally, special emphasis is placed on phase transitions within Heusler alloys, including martensitic transformations ranging above, near or below room temperature and magnetic transitions. Therefore, divers’ crystallographic defects can be presented in such types of materials affecting their structural and magnetic properties. Moreover, an important property of Heusler compounds, which is the ability to regulate the valence electron concentration through element substitution, is discussed. The possible challenges and remaining issues are briefly discussed.

The Heusler alloy ${\mathrm{Ni}}_{50}{\mathrm{Mn}}_{37}{\mathrm{Sn}}_{13}$ was successfully produced as ribbon flakes of thickness around $7–10\mu \mathrm{m}$ melt spinning. Fracture cross section micrographs in the ribbon show the formation of a microcrystalline columnarlike microstructure, with their longer axes perpendicular to the ribbon plane. Phase transition temperatures of the martensite-austenite transformation were found to be $M_S=218\mathrm{K}$ , $M_f=207\mathrm{K}$ , $A_S=224\mathrm{K}$ , and $A_f=232\mathrm{K}$ ; the thermal hysteresis of the transformation is $15\mathrm{K}$ . Ferromagnetic $L{2}_1$ bcc austenite phase shows a Curie point of $313\mathrm{K}$ , with cell parameter $a=0.5971\left(5\right)\mathrm{nm}$ at $298\mathrm{K}$ , transforming into a modulated $7M$ orthorhombic martensite with $a=0.6121\left(7\right)\mathrm{nm}$ , $b=0.6058\left(8\right)\mathrm{nm}$ , and $c=0.5660\left(2\right)\mathrm{nm}$ , at $150\mathrm{K}$ .