Integration of Design, Thermal, Structural, and Optical Analysis, Including Thermal Animation

In many industries there has recently been a concerted movement toward 'quality management' and the issue of how to accomplish work more efficiently. Part of this effort is focused on concurrent engineering; the idea of integrating the design and analysis processes so that they are not separate, sequential processes (often involving design rework due to analytical findings) but instead form an integrated system with smooth transfers of information. Presented herein are several specific examples of concurrent engineering methods being carried out at Langley Research Center (LaRC): integration of thermal, structural and optical analyses to predict changes in optical performance based on thermal and structural effects; integration of the CAD design process with thermal and structural analyses; and integration of analysis and presentation by animating the thermal response of a system as an active color map -- a highly effective visual indication of heat flow

spotlight europe no. 5 2019. Overuse of medical services. Unnecessary medical services can be harmful to patients

How is the overuse of medical services defined? The German Advisory Council on the Assessment of Developments in the Healthcare System (SVR) defines the overuse of medical services as treatment that goes beyond the coverage of needs. This refers to medical services that a patient does not need or want, or which entail a possibility of harm that outweighs the possible benefits. In its most recent report (2018), the SVR concludes that medical services are still frequently overused or incorrectly used in Germany, and that significant management deficits persist

Integrated automation for manufacturing of electronic assemblies

Since 1985, the Naval Ocean Systems Center has been identifying and developing needed technology for flexible manufacturing of hybrid microelectronic assemblies. Specific projects have been accomplished through contracts with manufacturing companies, equipment suppliers, and joint efforts with other government agencies. The resulting technology has been shared through semi-annual meetings with government, industry, and academic representatives who form an ad hoc advisory panel. More than 70 major technical capabilities have been identified for which new development is needed. Several of these developments have been completed and are being shared with industry

Climate Policy in the United States and Japan: Prospects in 2005 and Beyond, Workshop Summary

Resources for the Future and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies convened a one and one-half day workshop on domestic and international climate policy May 11–12, 2005, in Tokyo, Japan. The first day included 49 participants hearing presentations from 13 speakers and discussing domestic activities, economics, and politics. The second day included a smaller group of participants listening to a panel of four experts and discussing opportunities for future international climate regimes. Participants included government officials from the Japanese Ministry of the Environment; the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; the U.S. Department of State; and the Massachussetts Department of Commonwealth Development; representatives from business and environmental groups; and academic experts. Over the course of both days, it was clear that great opportunities exist for regularly informing experts from both countries on recent policy developments, economic analyses, and political nuances in the other country. For example, U.S. participants had an opportunity to learn the process through which Japanese technology standards are set and implemented, the subtle evolution of mandatory policy discussions, and details of current policies on voluntary trading and an emission registry. Japanese participants benefited from a frank discussion with U.S. experts of how and why it would be difficult to link different domestic emissions trading markets, the current process to establish a regional emissions trading program, and the evolving dynamics in the U.S. Senate. Looking forward, important lessons may be taken from past negotiating experiences. A small group of national leaders, including large emitters of greenhouse gases and major economies, addressing not only climate change but also developmental issues, could be a useful vehicle for meaningful international efforts. Such a small-group process should be carried out in parallel with the multilateral United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change process. In addition, policies in both the United States and Japan reflect a strong emphasis on technology development and commercialization; this may be an area where bilateral cooperation could be particularly beneficial.climate change, global warming, United States, Japan, Kyoto

USSR Space Life Sciences Digest, issue 15

This is the 15th issue of NASA's USSR Space Life Sciences Digest. It contains abstracts of 59 papers published in Russian language periodicals or presented at conferences and of two new Soviet monographs. Selected abstracts are illustrated with figures and tables from the original. An additional feature is a review of a conference devoted to the physiology of extreme states. The abstracts included in this issue have been identified as relevant to 29 areas of space biology and medicine. These areas are adaptation, biological rhythms, biospherics, body fluids, botany, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, endocrinology, enzymology, equipment and instrumentation, exobiology, genetics, habitability and environment effects, human performance, immunology, life support systems, mathematical modeling, metabolism, microbiology, musculoskeletal system, neurophysiology, nutrition, operational medicine, perception. personnel selection, psychology, radiobiology, reproductive biology, and space biology and medicine

Research to support sustainable groundwater development and governance in Laos

Lao PDR (Laos) is a landlocked country of around seven million people situated in the heart of the Mekong region (Fig. 1). Listed amongst the 47 UN-designated Least Developed Countries, its level of socioeconomic development is comparable to that of neighboring Myanmar and Cambodia but significantly lower than China, Thailand and Vietnam. Subsistence farming is the primary means of food security and income for nearly 80% of all households. Poorly developed, water-rich countries such as Laos have historically paid most attention to surface water resources, with limited consideration to groundwater. The attention to groundwater in Laos received a much-needed boost through a four year research project (2012-2016) funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE). The project, ‘Enhancing the Resilience and Productivity of Rainfed Dominated Systems in Lao PDR through Sustainable Groundwater Use’, was the first multi-disciplinary research effort focused on groundwater issues in the country. With the project completed (ACIAR 2016), this article examines its contributions in the areas of science, policy and capacity development and highlights the main lessons learnt during its implementation. These learnings may resonate with those actors already involved in, or considering involvement in applied groundwater research under similar conditions

Trim Loop Closure for Enhanced CAD Interoperability

The transfer of design data among different CAD systems or subsequent downstream analysis applications is critically important to the acceleration of the product development cycle. Since each vendor has its own proprietary native file format, this transfer of data among differing systems is difficult at best. International standards such as IGES and STEP have evolved to address this challenge, but they are generally not sufficiently explicit. Each vendor writes its own “flavor” of the standard that other applications may not understand. This paper bridges a gap between disparate systems by developing a strategy to assess the completeness and robustness of models represented in IGES or STEP format, and a technique to either repair the representation or add missing information so that a downstream application can properly interpret it. The method ensures that the receiving system gets a full and accurate NURBS-based representation: the original surfaces, the corresponding full complement of model space trim curves, and the corresponding full complement of parameter space trim curves. With all the information present, the downstream system is more likely to receive the information it requires to interpret the model

Healthcare Fact Check: Regional Variations in German Healthcare

Overuse, underuse and misuse in the German health system have been debated by experts for years. The Advisory Council on the Assessment of Developments in the Health Care System called attention to the problem as early as 2001. Valuable resources are used inappropriately and unnecessarily, and often the regional provision of healthcare services and the range of healthcare options offered do not reflect people’s needs

Numerical Modeling and Imaging with ULIAS: Ultrasonic Inspection Applying Simulation

ULIAS is the short term for ULtrasonic Inspection Applying Simulation. ULIAS is a module based software package comprising modules for numerical modeling, imaging, data compression, signal processing, and visualization in 1-D/2-D/3-D