A-Lib 2.0: New Avatar Academic Libraries with Web 2.0 Applications

The web has seen the explosion of social networking tools, which are empowering ordinary people to connect, collaborate and contribute in a global collaboration. These social software applications are now the hottest properties of the Internet users. This article explains the how Web 2.0 tools could be applied in academic libraries to convert them as A-Lib 2.0 or Academic Library 2.0. The paper further includes a few cases from different libraries which have already adopted these new services. One recent survey found that 34.41% of total academic libraries in New York State are using Web 2.0 Services; the major ones include IM, Blogs, RSS, Book marking, Wiki, Social Networks, etc. Library 2.0 has changed the traditional way of thinking about the profession where library only engage in creating the content and services for user shifted to the side of user where librarian will enable user to create them for themselves

Book Review "The Tacit Dimension" by Michael Polayni

The book The Tacit Dimension by the author Michael Polanyi speaks about the different dimensions of Knowledge of the world in a philosophical context. The author deals with the many facets of Knowledge, knowing its emergence and how society explored it in the three chapters. He tried to enumerate the above things. The book is for insightful reading to an ordinary man who understands how Knowledge works and how different associations of Knowledge are in our society with academic, societal, intellectual, and personal endeavors. The book shifts the reader's attention from intimate Knowledge to a philosophical knowledge perspective. The author finds Knowledge is of different dimensions where it is subjected to every individual's upbringing, perception, sensations, and the way s/he interacts with intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. Various paradoxes we frequently encounter in the world are subjected to how things exist, how things appear, and how we perceive them with our informatio

Bibliometric Analysis of the Research Output of Kuvempu University’s Publication in ISI Web of Science during 1990 – 2019

The present study is a bibliometric assessment of scientific research output of the Kuvempu University, Shankaraghatta, Shivamogga, Karnataka (1990 – 2019). The data collected from the Web of Science. The analysis includes yearly output of research productivity. The study focuses on Author Productivity pattern, types of documents/records, individual author’s research productivity, geographical collaboration of authors (countries of contributing authors) and distribution of research output by language

Modeling, finite element analysis, and optimization of Non-Pneumatic Tire (NPT) for the minimization of rolling resistance

Recently, the development of non-pneumatic tires (NPT) such as the Michelin Tweel is receiving increased attention due to potential advantages over pneumatic tires such as low mass, no run flat, good contact pressure distribution, and low rolling resistance (RR). This study focuses on the design of a NPT based on properties of vertical stiffness, contact pressure, and rolling energy loss. Using a finite element (FE) model, a parametric study is conducted to study the effect on vertical stiffness, contact pressure, and rolling resistance (RR) response considering three design variables: (1) thickness of the spokes, (2) the shear band thickness, and (3) shear modulus of the shear band and spokes of the NPT. The first two design variables are geometric parameters of the NPT while the third design variable is a material parameter. Using the three design variables, a design of experiments (DOE) is performed to study the effect on RR, contact pressure, and vertical displacement. Results from the DOE are used to create response surface models (RSM) for the objective function (minimal RR) and constraints on vertical deflection and contact pressure. The analytical RSM function is optimized for minimizing the rolling loss subjected to the given constraints. In addition, a design sensitivity study is performed to evaluate the influence of the design variables on the output response. Results indicate that all the design variables have significant effect on RR, with the shear band thickness and shear modulus having the greater effect

One-way Coupled Hydroelastic Analysis of Aluminum Wedge Under Slamming

The concept of using aluminum as the primary construction material for high speed ships and the hydroelastic behavior of the structure is widely gaining importance as a significant research topic in naval architecture. Aluminum is lighter than steel and hence can be predominantly used in high speed crafts which experiences significant slamming. This thesis work is focused on wedge shaped models. Free fall wedge impact is studied and a FORTRAN 90 computer program is developed to estimate the structural response of the wedge experiencing slamming by the use of matrix methods, finite element techniques and Newmark-Beta numerical time integration methods. The numerical solution is validated by comparison with the static solution. The theoretical hydrodynamic pressures which are used as input for this work was originally developed by using a flat cylinder theory [26]. The wedge drop at 0.6096 m (24 inch) drop height with an impact veloc- ity of v=3.05 m/s is based as the premise and the experimental pressure distributions measured by the pressure-transducers and the theoretical pressure predictions are used as inputs and the structural response is derived. Additionally, the response is compared for three different plate thicknesses and the results are compared against each other. The maximum deflection is comparable to the deflection evaluated from the experiment and tends to attain convergence as well. As the plate thickness reduces there tends to be a significant rise in the deflection values for the wedge plate, in the manner that when the plate thickness is halved there is a deviation of more than 75% in the deflection values as such

Prospects for Quantum Computing with an Array of Ultracold Polar Paramagnetic Molecules

Arrays of trapped ultracold molecules represent a promising platform for implementing a universal quantum computer. DeMille has detailed a prototype design based on Stark states of polar $^1\Sigma$ molecules as qubits. Herein, we consider an array of polar $^2\Sigma$ molecules which are, in addition, inherently paramagnetic and whose Hund's case (b) free-rotor states are Bell states. We show that by subjecting the array to combinations of concurrent homogeneous and inhomogeneous electric and magnetic fields, the entanglement of the array's Stark and Zeeman states can be tuned and the qubit sites addressed. Two schemes for implementing an optically controlled CNOT gate are proposed and their feasibility discussed in the face of the broadening of spectral lines due to dipole-dipole coupling and the inhomogeneity of the electric and magnetic fields.Comment: 23 Pages, 11 figures, Submitted to Journal of Chemical Physic

Exploring the use of human metrology for biometric recognition

This thesis explores the possibility of incorporating human body measurements in a biometric framework. While metrological features have been used for identifying persons in the late 19th century, there is limited work in automating this process for surveillance applications. We first establish the relevance of using metrological features in biometric systems by studying two anthropometric data-sets (NASA and NHANES). We then propose a technique to automatically extract a subset of these measurements from a video sequence. A robust segmentation technique (HMMF) to detect moving pixels corresponding to human objects is used in the first stage. Next, we use Active Contours to obtain a precise contour of the human body. Finally, we design a technique to extract the measurements of human body, viz., height, width of the head and the torso, from the segmented image. We show that the measurements extracted in this manner bear close resemblance to manual measurements in terms of their pixel count. To validate the procedure outlined here, we extract these measurements from different videos containing human objects and check for consistency across multiple stand-off distances between the subject and the camera. Data pertaining to 9 different individuals (3 video sequences each) was used in this research