Assessment of research needs for sustainability of unconventional machining processes

AbstractThe use of unconventional machining (UCM) practices is increasing for product manufacture particularly when machining difficult to cut materials and when high precision is required. There is plenty of research conducted on improving sustainability of traditional machining. However, sustainability studies on unconventional/non-traditional machining practices are few. This review aims to determine the current state of the art in sustainability assessment of unconventional machining practices and identify gaps in research. An extensive review was carried out and analysed using a qualitative data analysing software. The analysis shows that only 25 publications directly and indirectly discuss the matter of sustainability of UCM. Out of this almost 70% of publications were recorded after year 2006 showing a clear evidence of uncovered research gap in the field with a growing interest. Despite this trend, evidence on studies which are explicitly dedicated to analyse the sustainability of UCM are rare

Progress on a Compact Accelerator Design for a Compton Light Source

A compact Compton light source using an electron linear accelerator is in design at the Center for Accelerator Science at Old Dominion University and Jefferson Lab. We report on the current design, including beam properties through the entire system based on a full end-to-end simulation, compare current specifications to design goals, and target areas for improvement

HOM and Impedance Study of RF Separators for LCLS-II

The LCLS-II upgrade requires an rf spreader system to guide bunches into a switchyard delivering beam to two undulators and the primary beam dump. The beam pattern therefore needs a 3-way beam spreader. An rf deflecting cavity concept was proposed that includes both superconducting and normal conducting options. We characterize the higher order modes (HOM) of these rf separator cavities and evaluate beam dynamics effects due to potential HOM excitation. This study includes both short term wake and multi-bunch effects

Cognitive Performance in Midlife Type 2 Diabetes: Results form the ENBIND Study

Aims: To establish the impact of uncomplicated type 2 diabetes on cognitive and neuropsychological performance in midlife. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of middle-aged adults with uncomplicated type 2 diabetes and a cohort of healthy control participants. General cognition was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment test and neuropsychological assessment was undertaken using a detailed neuropsychological assessment battery. Results: A total of 152 participants (102 with type 2 diabetes and 50 controls) were recruited (mean age 52 ± 8 years, 51% women). Participants with midlife type 2 diabetes were more than twice as likely to make an error on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment test [incidence rate ratio 2.44 (95% CI 1.54 to 3.87); P \u3c 0.001]. Further, type 2 diabetes was also associated with significantly lower memory composite score [β: −0.20 (95% CI −0.39 to −0.01); P = 0.04] and paired associates learning score [β: = −1.97 (95% CI −3.51, −0.43); P = 0.01] on the neuropsychological assessment battery following adjustment for age, sex, BMI, educational attainment and hypercholesterolaemia. Conclusions: Even in midlife, type 2 diabetes was associated with small but statistically significant cognitive decrements. These statistically significant decrements, whilst not clinically significant in terms of objective cognitive impairment, may have important implications in selecting out individuals most at risk of later cognitive decline for potential preventative interventions in midlife

AVIFAUNAL DIVERSITY IN A TEA PLANTATION ECOSYSTEM IN THE UP-COUNTRY OF SRI LANKA

A survey on birds was conducted at Mattakelle Tea Estate with the objective of assessing the significance of a given tea plantation ecosystem in maintaining avifaunal diversity. Seven different habitats were identified in the ecosystem namely home garden, seasonal stream, small scale reservoir, Eucalyptus forest, wetland, tea field and secondary forest. The monitoring was conducted from January to June 2010 using line transect method. 28 counts were made for each habitat. Besides, activities of birds, feeding habits and food recourses were observed.61 species of birds including  9 species of endemics and 10 species of migrants were recorded. One globally threatened species Kashmir Flycatcher (Ficedula subrubra) and 12 nationally threatened species were observed. Among the habitats, the highest species count of 62% was recorded in  home garden habitat where Shannon index (H’) = 3.03 and Evenness (J) =0.46. Species diversity and the evenness of the secondary forest were comparable to tea field indicating H’= 2.86 and J=0.43; H’ =2.77 and J= 0.46 respectively.  The avifaunal diversity was relatively low in the rest.The study revealed that each of the habitats provided unique niches and supported maintenance of natural diversity. Vegetation structure and the complexity of the ecosystem in tea plantations play a vital role in sustaining  avifaunal diversity. Several conservation measures such as increasing plant diversity, introduction of shade trees, conduct of good agricultural practices and prevention from setting fire are recommended to protect and conserve avifaunal diversity

A framework for intelligent policy decision making based on a government data hub

Author ProofThe e-Oman Integration Platform is a data hub that enables data exchanges across government in response to transactions. With millions of transactions weekly, and thereby data exchanges, we propose to investigate the potential of gathering intelligence from these linked sources to help government officials make more informed decisions. A key feature of this data is the richness and accuracy, which increases the value of the learning outcome when augmented by other big and open data sources. We consider a high-level framework within a government context, taking into account issues related to the definition of public policies, data privacy, and the potential benefits to society. A preliminary, qualitative validation of the framework in the context of e-Oman is presented. This paper lays out foundational work into an ongoing research to implement government decision-making based on big data.“SmartEGOV: Harnessing EGOV for Smart Governance (Foundations, Methods, Tools)/NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000037”, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (EFDR

The US Electron Ion Collider Accelerator Designs

With the completion of the National Academies of Sciences Assessment of a US Electron-Ion Collider, the prospects for construction of such a facility have taken a step forward. This paper provides an overview of the two site-specific EIC designs: JLEIC (Jefferson Lab) and eRHIC (BNL) as well as brief overview of ongoing EIC R&D

Ecological implications of a flower size/number trade-off in tropical forest trees

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Professional and Home-Made Face Masks Reduce Exposure to Respiratory Infections among the General Population

Governments are preparing for a potential influenza pandemic. Therefore they need data to assess the possible impact of interventions. Face-masks worn by the general population could be an accessible and affordable intervention, if effective when worn under routine circumstances.We assessed transmission reduction potential provided by personal respirators, surgical masks and home-made masks when worn during a variety of activities by healthy volunteers and a simulated patient.All types of masks reduced aerosol exposure, relatively stable over time, unaffected by duration of wear or type of activity, but with a high degree of individual variation. Personal respirators were more efficient than surgical masks, which were more efficient than home-made masks. Regardless of mask type, children were less well protected. Outward protection (mask wearing by a mechanical head) was less effective than inward protection (mask wearing by healthy volunteers).Any type of general mask use is likely to decrease viral exposure and infection risk on a population level, in spite of imperfect fit and imperfect adherence, personal respirators providing most protection. Masks worn by patients may not offer as great a degree of protection against aerosol transmission