High-speed infrared thermal measurements of impacted metallic solids

The methodology used to measure transient temperature changes in impacted solids, using high-speed infrared detectors, is presented and discussed thoroughly. The various steps leading to a reliable measurement, namely selection of the sensing device, calibration of the setup, interfacing with the impact apparatus (Kolsky bar), and data reduction are presented. The outcome of the above methodology is illustrated in terms of the Taylor-Quinney factor, a well-known measure of the efficiency of the thermomechanical conversion. Selection of infrared detectors. / Importance of the calibration procedure. / Determination of the Taylor-Quinney factor.The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union's Horizon2020 Program (Excellent Science, Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions) under REA grant agreement 675602 (Project OUTCOME)

Knowledge Cartography for Controversies: The Iraq Debate

In analysing controversies and debates—which would include reviewing a literature in order to plan research, or assessing intelligence to formulate policy—there is no one worldview which can be mapped, for instance as a single, coherent concept map. The cartographic challenge is to show which facts are agreed and contested, and the different kinds of narrative links that use facts as evidence to define the nature of the problem, what to do about it, and why. We will use the debate around the invasion of Iraq to demonstrate the methodology of using a knowledge mapping tool to extract key ideas from source materials, in order to classify and connect them within and across a set of perspectives of interest to the analyst. We reflect on the value that this approach adds, and how it relates to other argument mapping approaches

Dynamic tensile necking: influence of specimen geometry and boundary conditions

This paper examines the effects of sample size and boundary conditions on the necking inception and development in dynamically stretched steel specimens. For that task, a coordinated systematic experimental&-numerical work on the dynamic tensile test has been conducted. Experiments were performed using a tensile Kolsky apparatus for impact velocities ranging from 10 to 40 m/s. Three different sample-gauge lengths &- 7, 30 and 50 mm &- were considered for which the cross section diameter is 3.4 mm. The experiments revealed that the specimens' ductility to fracture depends on strain rate and sample length. Furthermore it was observed that, for those specimens having gauge lengths of 30 and 50 mm, the necking location varies with impact velocity. Numerical simulations of the dynamic tensile tests were carried out in order to characterize the dynamics of neck inception and development. For each specimen calculated, three types of boundary conditions were used, all of which match the experimentally measured strain-rate. It was pointed out that, while boundary conditions hardly affect the calculated stress&-strain characteristics, they strongly affect the wave propagation dynamics in the specimen thus dictating the necking location.The researchers of the University Carlos III of Madridare indebted to the Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid (Project CCG10 UC3M/DPI 5596) and to the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación de España (Project DPI/2011 24068) for the financial support received which allowed conducting part of this work. D. Rittel acknowledges the support of Carlos III Univer sity with a Catedra de Excelencia funded by Banco Santan der during academic year 2011 2012

Short-term leprosy forecasting from an expert opinion survey.

We conducted an expert survey of leprosy (Hansen's Disease) and neglected tropical disease experts in February 2016. Experts were asked to forecast the next year of reported cases for the world, for the top three countries, and for selected states and territories of India. A total of 103 respondents answered at least one forecasting question. We elicited lower and upper confidence bounds. Comparing these results to regression and exponential smoothing, we found no evidence that any forecasting method outperformed the others. We found evidence that experts who believed it was more likely to achieve global interruption of transmission goals and disability reduction goals had higher error scores for India and Indonesia, but lower for Brazil. Even for a disease whose epidemiology changes on a slow time scale, forecasting exercises such as we conducted are simple and practical. We believe they can be used on a routine basis in public health

Finite element analysis of AISI 304 steel sheets subjected to dynamic tension: The effects of martensitic transformation and plastic strain development on flow localization

The paper presents a finite element study of the dynamic necking formation and energy absorption in AISI 304 steel sheets. The analysis emphasizes the effects of strain induced martensitic transformation (SIMT) and plastic strain development on flow localization and sample ductility. The material behavior is described by a constitutive model proposed by the authors which includes the SIMT at high strain rates. The process of martensitic transformation is alternatively switched on and off in the simulations in order to highlight its effect on the necking inception. Two different initial conditions have been applied: specimen at rest which is representative of a regular dynamic tensile test, and specimen with a prescribed initial velocity field in the gauge which minimizes longitudinal plastic wave propagation in the tensile specimen. Plastic waves are found to be responsible for a shift in the neck location, may also mask the actual constitutive performance of the material, hiding the expected increase in ductility and energy absorption linked to the improved strain hardening effect of martensitic transformation. On the contrary, initializing the velocity field leads to a symmetric necking pattern of the kind described in theoretical works, which reveals the actual material behavior. Finally the analysis shows that in absence of plastic waves, and under high loading rates, the SIMT may not further increase the material ductility.D. Rittel acknowledges the support of Carlos III University with a Cátedra de Excelencia funded by Banco Santander during academic year 2011-2012. The researchers of the University Carlos III of Madrid are indebted to the Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid (Project CCG10 UC3M/DPI 5596) and to the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación de España (Project DPI/2008 06408) for the financial support received which allowed conducting part of this work

Research Project as Boundary Object: negotiating the conceptual design of a tool for International Development

This paper reflects on the relationship between who one designs for and what one designs in the unstructured space of designing for political change; in particular, for supporting “International Development” with ICT. We look at an interdisciplinary research project with goals and funding, but no clearly defined beneficiary group at start, and how amorphousness contributed to impact. The reported project researched a bridging tool to connect producers with consumers across global contexts and show players in the supply chain and their circumstances. We explore how both the nature of the research and the tool’s function became contested as work progressed. To tell this tale, we invoke the idea of boundary objects and the value of tacking back and forth between elastic meanings of the project’s artefacts and processes. We examine the project’s role in India, Chile and other arenas to draw out ways that it functioned as a catalyst and how absence of committed design choices acted as an unexpected strength in reaching its goals

Left atrial diverticulum - An unexpected finding in routine transesophageal echocardiography

We report a 55-year-old male patient with lone paroxysmal atrial fibrillation who underwent routine transesophageal echocardiography (TOE) at our institution. In a mid-esophageal 125 degrees three-chamber angulation, a distinct thinning of the left atrial (LA) wall was observed, forming a 7 x 4 mm canal with only a small membrane separating the LA from the pericardial space. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging diagnosed a small LA diverticulum. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first manuscript describing detection of a small LA diverticulum via TOE

Visualizing internetworked argumentation

In this chapter, we outline a project which traces its source of inspiration back to the grand visions of Vannevar Bush (scholarly trails of linked concepts), Doug Engelbart (highly interactive intellectual tools, particularly for argumentation), and Ted Nelson (large scale internet publishing with recognised intellectual property). In essence, we are tackling the age-old question of how to organise distributed, collective knowledge. Specifically, we pose the following question as a foil: In 2010, will scholarly knowledge still be published solely in prose, or can we imagine a complementary infrastructure that is ‘native’ to the emerging semantic, collaborative web, enabling more effective dissemination and analysis of ideas

Correction: Short-term leprosy forecasting from an expert opinion survey.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182245.]