7 research outputs found
Size Doesn't Matter: Towards a More Inclusive Philosophy of Biology
notes: As the primary author, OâMalley drafted the paper, and gathered and analysed data (scientific papers and talks). Conceptual analysis was conducted by both authors.publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticlePhilosophers of biology, along with everyone else, generally perceive life to fall into two broad categories, the microbes and macrobes, and then pay most of their attention to the latter. âMacrobeâ is the word we propose for larger life forms, and we use it as part of an argument for microbial equality. We suggest that taking more notice of microbes â the dominant life form on the planet, both now and throughout evolutionary history â will transform some of the philosophy of biologyâs standard ideas on ontology, evolution, taxonomy and biodiversity. We set out a number of recent developments in microbiology â including biofilm formation, chemotaxis, quorum sensing and gene transfer â that highlight microbial capacities for cooperation and communication and break down conventional thinking that microbes are solely or primarily single-celled organisms. These insights also bring new perspectives to the levels of selection debate, as well as to discussions of the evolution and nature of multicellularity, and to neo-Darwinian understandings of evolutionary mechanisms. We show how these revisions lead to further complications for microbial classification and the philosophies of systematics and biodiversity. Incorporating microbial insights into the philosophy of biology will challenge many of its assumptions, but also give greater scope and depth to its investigations
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Fabrication of built-up conductors for large pulsed coils
The development work was performed to provide a low-loss, cryostable conductor capable of carrying 5 kA at 3 T for a 30-MJ coil cycled at 0.35 Hz. Much of the work is relevant to conductor development for other pulsed coils, such as a tokamak induction heating coil. As part of the development process, various conductor configurations were subjected to ac loss measurements, stability tests, electrical resistance measurements, and mechanical load-bearing and mechanical fatigue tests. The result is a conductor that appears to satisfy the design criteria with a considerable safety margin
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Conductor qualification tests for the 30-MJ Bonneville Power Administration SMES coil
The 30-MJ energy storage coil for the Bonneville Power Administration requires a low-loss, cryostable conductor that is able to carry 4.9 kA in a field of 2.8 T and will maintain its properties over 10/sup 8/ partial discharge cycles. The multi-level cable which satisfies these requirements has been extensively tested at various stages in its development and in its final form. Tests have been performed to determine the effect of manufacturing options on ac losses, low temperature electrical resistivity, stability, and fatigue resistance of the insulated conductor. This paper will concentrate on the stability and fatigue tests which have not previously been reported