Prototyping of the ILC Baseline Positron Target

The ILC positron system uses novel helical undulators to create a powerful photon beam from the main electron beam. This beam is passed through a titanium target to convert it into electron-positron pairs. The target is constructed as a 1 m diameter wheel spinning at 2000 RPM to smear the 1 ms ILC pulse train over 10 cm. A pulsed flux concentrating magnet is used to increase the positron capture efficiency. It is cooled to liquid nitrogen temperatures to maximize the flatness of the magnetic field over the 1 ms ILC pulse train. We report on prototyping effort on this system.Comment: 7 pages, 9 figures, Proceedings of the International Workshop on Future Linear Colliders, Granada Spain, 26-30 September 201

The material geographies of Bitfury in Georgia: Integrating cryptoasset firms into global financial networks

Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, have garnered significant attention in scholarship and beyond. Geographical work on cryptocurrencies has focussed on how their energy demand interacts with local communities and economies. Less is said about the organization of cryptoasset firms and their associated demands. This paper illuminates the complex geographies of one such firm, Bitfury Group, to investigate the global and national forms and structures such companies take and the factors encouraging them to concentrate operations in certain areas. To investigate the latter, we adopt the case study of Bitfury’s operations in Georgia, a South-Caucasian country where its presence is significant. We adapt Haberly et al.’s analytical framework to explore Bitfury’s geographical dimensions. We highlight how cheap electricity, regulatory and taxation regimes, personal encounters and personalities, and the materialities of hardware and energy-saving technology define these geographies and illuminate how Bitfury actively curates advantageous regulatory spaces. We encourage future work exploring Blockchain and Bitcoin technologies to understand the companies involved as simultaneously material and virtual, and as centrepieces in global networks interweaving production and finance

Interview of Francis J. Ryan, Ed. D.

At the time of the interview, Francis J. Ryan was Director of American Studies and Professor of History at La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. He was born in 1947 and grew up in Harrogate neighborhood between the Frankford and Kensington areas of Philadelphia. He attended St. Joan of Arc elementary school, North[east] Catholic High School, and graduated from La Salle College in 1969 with a B. A. in English. He taught English, History, and American Studies at Northeast Catholic High School from 1969 until 1987. He earned his doctorate in Education at Temple University in 1985 and began teaching full-time at La Salle University in 1987

Affordable Housing Need in Scotland, Final Report - September 2015

First paragraph: This report presents the findings from research conducted in 2015 which sought to estimate the need for affordable housing across Scotland as a whole. The research was commissioned by Shelter Scotland, the Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland and the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA). The study updates a previous, similar exercise conducted almost a decade ago for the Scottish Government (Bramley et al., 2006)

A Systematic Review of Coach Feedback During Practice and Competition in Team Sports

Coach feedback is acknowledged to have a vital role in athlete learning, while systematic observation is a common tool used in measuring coach behaviour. The purpose of this review was to identify coaches’ use of feedback in developmental and performance contexts. A literature search was conducted using EBSCO HOST and SCOPUS databases. Studies were reviewed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Data were extracted from 31 studies which met the inclusion criteria. Analysis revealed three themes, 1) evidence base surrounding feedback types observed. 2) variation in observation tool and feedback types observed. 3) quality of coach feedback. The multiple feedback types measured across the studies included suggests there is limited agreement on the types of feedback most important to measure. For the impact of feedback to be better understood, the feedback types captured via systematic observation need revising in line with research that has identified the important characteristics of feedback. A greater evidence-informed approach to the observation of feedback may help to develop a greater critical understanding of the feedback process in learning and performance. Where there were consistencies in feedback type, the quality of the feedback delivered by coaches could be questioned

Phase Change Material Trade Study: A Comparison Between Wax and Water for Manned Spacecraft

Phase change material heat sinks have been recognized as an important tool in optimizing thermal control systems for space exploration vehicles and habitats that must deal with widely varying thermal loads and environments. In order to better focus technology investment in this arena, NASA has supported a trade study with the objective of identifying where the best potential pay-off can be found among identified aqueous and paraffin wax phase change materials and phase change material heat sink design approaches. The study used a representative exploration mission with well understood parameters to support the trade. Additional sensitivity studies were performed to ensure the applicability of study results across varying systems and destinations. Results from the study indicate that replacing a wax PCM heat sink with a water ice PCM heat sink has the potential to decrease the equivalent system mass of the mission s vehicle through a combination of a smaller heat sink and a slight 5% increase in radiator size or the addition of a lightweight heat pump. An evaluation of existing and emerging PCM heat sink technologies indicates that further mass savings should be achievable through continued development of those technologies. The largest mass savings may be realized by eliminating the melting and freezing pressure of wax and water, respectively

Challenges for Developing Complex System Governance

This paper examines the challenges and practice implications for Complex System Governance (CSG). CSG is presented as an emerging field focused on the design, execution, and evolution of the higher order (metasystem) functions necessary to provide control, communication, coordination, and integration of a complex system. This paper is focused on three primary objectives. First, we introduce the complex system problem domain that the CSG field is being designed to address. The pervasiveness of this problem domain is demonstrated by a short examination of the water utilities sector. Second, we expound the nature of CSG and an emerging reference model that defines the functions of CSG. These functions must be performed by any system that maintains viability (continued existence). The CSG reference model rests on the underlying conceptual foundations built from Systems Theory (axioms and propositions governing system integration and coordination) and Management Cybernetics (communication and control for effective system organization). Third, we explore the particular challenges that must be addressed if the potential of the emerging CSG field is to be realized. The paper concludes by suggesting the potential that the CSG field brings for enhancing practitioner capabilities to more effectively deal with complex systems and their associated problems

NASA GIBS and Worldview: Visualizing NASA's Earth Science Data for All to Explore

For more than 20 years, the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) has operated dozens of remote sensing satellites collecting nearly 15 Petabytes of data that span thousands of science parameters. Within these observations are keys the Earth Scientists have used to unlock many discoveries that we now understand about our planet. Also contained within these observations are a myriad of opportunities for learning and education. The challenge is making them accessible to educators and students in intuitive and simple ways so that effort can be spent on lesson enrichment and not overcoming technical hurdles.The NASA Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS) system and NASA Worldview interactive mapping site provide a unique view into EOS data through daily full resolution visualizations of hundreds of Earth science parameters. For many of these parameters, visualizations are available within hours of acquisition from the satellite. For others, visualizations are available for the entire mission of the satellite. Accompanying the visualizations are visual aids such as color legends, place names, and orbit tracks. By using these visualizations, educators and students can observe natural phenomena that enrich a scientific education.This presentation will provide an overview of the visualizations available in NASA GIBS and Worldview and how they are accessed. Specific attention will be given to the newer capabilities and accomplishments, including: Support for geostationary sub-daily visualizations, Enhanced support for vector-based visualizations, Improved Worldview tour and snapshot capabilities, New imagery products across a growing set of scientific areas