Intellectual Property Topics in Open University Distance-Taught Courses

Patents lie at the heart of engineering as a permanent and ongoing record of invention. We have taught the subject for about 5 years in both UG and PG courses, written from scratch owing to the absence of textbooks aimed specifically at engineers. Most practising engineers develop patent skills on the job rather than through conventional courses. But there is a need to present such courses as early as possible in the engineering curriculum, so that graduates have a flying start in their first employment

Effect of prior cold work on the mechanical properties of weldments

Heat exchanger units used in steam raising power plant are often manufactured using many metres of austenitic stainless steel tubes that have been plastically formed (bent and swaged) and welded into complex shapes. The amount of plastic deformation (pre-straining) before welding varies greatly. This has a significant effect on the mechanical properties of the welded tubes and on the final residual stress state after welding. The aim of the present work was to measure and understand the combined effects of pre-straining and welding on the properties and residual stress levels in stainless steel tubing weldments. Effects of plastic deformation were simulated by plastically straining three identical stainless steel tubes to different strain levels (0%, 10% and 20%). Then each tube was cut into two halves and welding back together. The variation in mechanical properties across weldments was measured using digital image correlation (DIC) and a series of strain gauges (SG). Residual stresses were measured on the 0% (undeformed) and 20% prestrained and welded tubes by neutron diffraction. It was found that the welding process had a marked effect on the tensile properties of parent material within 25mm of the weld centre-line. Evidence of cyclic strain hardening was observed in the tube that had not been pre-strained, and evidence of softening seen in the 10% and 20% pre-strained tubes. Macroscopic residual stresses were measured to be near zero at distances greater than 25 mm from the weld centre-line, but measurements in the 20% pre-strained tube revealed the presence of micro residual stresses having a magnitude of up to 50 MPa

Injury in Ireland

Injury mortality is the fourth commonest cause of death in Ireland. The treatment of injuries has a major impact on our hospitals and on our budget for health. Long term disability following accidents is a serious problem. The aim of this report is to examine the impact of accidents and injuries on the Irish population by analysing routine mortality and morbidity data, and to identify in turn those areas where preventive measures could have an impact. In Section One the literature review details the advantages and disadvantages of each type of routine data source used in this report. The interpretation of data should take account of the constraints of the available data collected. The usefulness of routine data collection is highlighted, while identifying areas for improvement. In Section Two the methodology employed in the study is detailed. In Section Three data on hospital admissions over a five-year period 1993-1997 are presented. An overview of injury admissions is presented, followed by further analysis of injury data by both cause and by age group. In Section Four data on all accident-related deaths over a 17-year period, 1980-1996, are presented, with overall mortality data and mortality data by age group and by major causes of injury death detailed. In Section Five comparisons are made between the eight health board regions for rates of admissions and deaths due to injury. In presenting the data we use a matrix format devised and recommended by the International Collaborative Effort on Injury Statistics to display injury simultaneously by cause and intent. The use of a common format will also facilitate regional and international comparisons. In Section Six the priority recommendations for injury prevention are outlined. The key findings are then discussed and further recommendations are presented with the aim of injury prevention, reduction of disability and improvement in injury surveillance

A note on bounds for the cop number using tree decompositions

In this short note, we supply a new upper bound on the cop number in terms of tree decompositions. Our results in some cases extend a previously derived bound on the cop number using treewidth

The effect of weld residual stresses and their re-distribution with crack growth during fatigue under constant amplitude loading

In this work the evolution of the residual stresses in a MIG-welded 2024-T3 aluminium alloy M(T) specimen during in situ fatigue crack growth at constant load amplitude has been measured with neutron diffraction. The plastic relaxation and plasticity-induced residual stresses associated with the fatigue loading were found to be small compared with the stresses arising due to elastic re-distribution of the initial residual stress field. The elastic re-distribution was modelled with a finite element simulation and a good correlation between the experimentally-determined and the modelled stresses was found. A significant mean stress effect on the fatigue crack growth rate was seen and this was also accurately predicted using the measured initial residual stresses

Lessons from crossing symmetry at large N

20 pages, v2: Assumptions stated more clearly, version published in JHEPWe consider the four-point correlator of the stress tensor multiplet in N=4 SYM. We construct all solutions consistent with crossing symmetry in the limit of large central charge c ~ N^2 and large g^2 N. While we find an infinite tower of solutions, we argue most of them are suppressed by an extra scale \Delta_{gap} and are consistent with the upper bounds for the scaling dimension of unprotected operators observed in the numerical superconformal bootstrap at large central charge. These solutions organize as a double expansion in 1/c and 1/\Delta_{gap}. Our solutions are valid to leading order in 1/c and to all orders in 1/\Delta_{gap} and reproduce, in particular, instanton corrections previously found. Furthermore, we find a connection between such upper bounds and positivity constraints arising from causality in flat space. Finally, we show that certain relations derived from causality constraints for scattering in AdS follow from crossing symmetry.Peer reviewe

The impact of private sector provision on equitable provision of coronary revascularisation

Objective: To investigate the impact of including private sector data on assessments of equity of coronary revascularisation provision using NHS data only. Design: Analyses of Hospital Episodes Statistics and private sector data by age, sex, and PCT of residence. For each PCT, the share of London's total population and revascularisations (all admissions, NHS-funded, and privately-funded admissions) were calculated. GINI coefficients were derived to provide an index of inequality across sub-populations, with parametric bootstrapping to estimate confidence intervals. Setting: London Participants London residents undergoing coronary revascularisation April 2001 - December 2003. Intervention Coronary artery bypass graft or angioplasty Main outcome measures: Directly-standardised revascularisation rates, GINI coefficients. Results: NHS-funded age-standardised revascularisation rates varied from 95.2 to 193.9 per 100,000 and privately funded procedures from 7.6 to 57.6. Although the age distribution did not vary by funding, the proportion of revascularisations among women that were privately funded (11.0%) was lower than among men (17.0%). Privately funded rates were highest in PCTs with the lowest death rates (p=0.053). NHS-funded admission rates were not related to deprivation nor age-standardised deaths rates from coronary heart disease. Privately-funded admission rates were lower in more deprived PCTs. NHS provision was significantly more egalitarian (Gini coefficient 0.12) than the private sector (0.35). Including all procedures was significantly less equal (0.13) than NHS funded care alone. Conclusion: Private provision exacerbates geographical inequalities. Those responsible for commissioning care for defined populations must have access to consistent data on provision of treatment wherever it takes place

Professional Action Sport Athletes’ Experiences with and Attitudes Toward Concussion: A Phenomenological Study

This study examined the lived experiences and subsequent attitudes of freestyle BMX and motocross athletes relative to suffering concussions. Eleven professional athletes were interviewed using a semi-structured protocol. All cited a significant personal history with concussion and those personal accounts, along with their observations of others who experienced similar head injuries, shaped the athletes’ attitudes towards concussion. Both intrinsic and extrinsic factors contributed to each athlete’s acceptance of concussion risk inherent in their respective sport. Generally, athletes accepted concussion risk as part of their sport, but were largely unfamiliar with what concussion was and what long-term effects could result from a history of concussion. Additionally, athletes knew of no concussion protocols or guidelines in their sport and cited an overall lack of organized medical care accessible to them on an ongoing basis, as is the case with mainstream sports