An industrial survey on the use of surface texture parameters

In 1999, CIRP conducted an industrial survey of the use of surface texture parameters [1]. In the seventeen years since, much has changed, with the most important advancement being the introduction of areal surface texture parameters as described in ISO 25178-2 [2]. There has also been the release of commercial software packages for the calculation of surface texture parameters and, therefore, it is expected that industry is starting to embrace areal surface texture characterisation. Industry is also increasingly using more optical instruments, which are often inherently areal in nature. These factors bring to light the need for a new parameter survey, to investigate whether industry really has been adopting areal surface texture parameters. This study used an online survey to obtain information about the current use of surface texture parameters in industry. The survey features both profile and areal surface texture parameters defined in specification standards ISO 4287 [3], ISO 25178-2 [2], ISO 12085 [4] and ISO 16565-2/3 [5, 6]. The survey was open to responses for eight months and obtained a total of 179 responses from a variety of industrial users of surface texture parameters spread across thirty-two countries. Responses from the survey offer information about the usage of individual surface texture parameters, highlighting any parameters that are unpopular and may require attention. The survey also enables participants to share their opinion on the current range of parameters in use, giving an insight into the perception of surface texture parameters in industry. The results from the survey highlight a strong adoption by industry of the areal surface texture parameters defined in ISO 25178-2. In comparison to the 1999 survey, there has also been an overall increase in the use of profile surface texture parameters, and an increase in the variety of parameters used, particularly for the ISO 4287 roughness parameters, suggesting a better understanding of the range of parameters available and their uses. Conversely, this increase in parameter variety could be due to the greater computational power available to users of surface texture parameters, allowing them to use more parameters with little cost. The results of the surface texture parameter survey will serve as an indication of the current state of the industry to those interested in the widespread acceptance and evolution of surface texture parameters. The analysis of the survey will identify common potential improvement areas in surface texture parameter selection and provide a starting point from which to better promote the current selection and better educate the users

The Kagome-staircase lattice: Magnetic ordering in Ni3V2O8 and Co3V2O8

Ni3V2O8 and Co3V2O8 have spin-1 and spin-3/2 magnetic lattices that are a new anisotropic variant of the Kagome net, wherein edge-sharing MO6 octahedra form the rises and rungs of a "Kagome staircase". The anisotropy largely relieves the geometric frustration, but results in rich magnetic behavior. Characterization of the magnetization of polycrystalline samples reveals that the compounds are ferrimagnetic in character. Heat capacity measurements show the presence of four magnetic phase transitions below 9 K for Ni3V2O8 and two below 11 K for Co3V2O8. Comparison to the low temperature heat capacity of isostructural nonmagnetic Zn3V2O8 provides an estimate of the magnetic entropy involved with the phase transitions. The results suggest that Co3V2O8 may display magnetic transitions below 2 K.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing conventional excisional haemorrhoidectomy with LigaSure for haemorrhoids

Background:\ud To compare the surgical outcome of haemorrhoidectomy performed using LigaSure bipolar diathermy with conventional haemorrhoidectomy.\ud \ud Methods:\ud Only randomized and alternate allocated studies were included from the major electronic databases using the search terms "ligasure" and "haemorrhoids" Duration of operation, blood loss during operation, postoperative pain score, wound healing, in-hospital stay, time to return to normal activities and complications were assessed.\ud \ud Results:\ud The 11 trials contained a total of 1,046 patients; the largest study was based on 273 patients and two earlier studies were based on 34 patients. No significant gender mismatch between the groups was reported in any of the studies. The patients’ ages were similar between groups in the studies, as was disease severity. All 11 studies reported a shorter duration of the operation when using LigaSure compared to the conventional technique (p<0.001). The postoperative pain score (p=0.001) and blood loss during operation (p=0.001) were significantly reduced. After LigaSure haemorrhoidectomy wound healing (p=0.004) and the return to normal activities (p=0.001) were significantly faster than after conventional haemorrhoidectomy. However, the overall incidence of complications reported was not significantly different (p=0.056).\ud \ud Conclusions:\ud LigaSure is an effective instrument for haemorrhoidectomy which results in less blood loss, quicker wound healing and earlier return to work.\u

Co-limitation towards lower latitudes shapes global forest diversity gradients

The latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG) is one of the most recognized global patterns of species richness exhibited across a wide range of taxa. Numerous hypotheses have been proposed in the past two centuries to explain LDG, but rigorous tests of the drivers of LDGs have been limited by a lack of high-quality global species richness data. Here we produce a high-resolution (0.025° × 0.025°) map of local tree species richness using a global forest inventory database with individual tree information and local biophysical characteristics from ~1.3 million sample plots. We then quantify drivers of local tree species richness patterns across latitudes. Generally, annual mean temperature was a dominant predictor of tree species richness, which is most consistent with the metabolic theory of biodiversity (MTB). However, MTB underestimated LDG in the tropics, where high species richness was also moderated by topographic, soil and anthropogenic factors operating at local scales. Given that local landscape variables operate synergistically with bioclimatic factors in shaping the global LDG pattern, we suggest that MTB be extended to account for co-limitation by subordinate drivers

Faba bean (Vicia faba L.)

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Temperature Dependence of Low Cycle Fatigue Behavior in AZ31 Magnesium Alloy

In situ neutron diffraction has been used to investigate the deformation behaviour of extruded magnesium at room temperature, -100 °C and 150 °C. Significant differences in the active twinning/slip systems, attributed to the strong crystallographic texture and temperature dependence, were observed. Twining is the dominant deformation mode during the cyclic loading at room temperature and at cryogenic temperature. In contrast, at high temperature, additional slip planes were activated and reduction of twinning activities was observed and the deformation mode is slip-dominated

Podocarpaceae in tropical forests: A synthesis

The Podocarpaceae comprises 18 genera and about 173 species of evergreen, coniferous trees and shrubs. It is the most successful gymnosperm family in angiosperm-dominated tropical forests (Brodribb, this volume). Podocarps are distributed mainly in the Southern Hemisphere, with populations also extending as far north as China and Japan and to Mexico and the Caribbean in the neotropics (Dalling et al., this volume; Enright and Jaffré, this volume; Adie and Lawes, this volume)