An Investigation into the Effect of the Shell on SALM Processed Parts

Shell Assisted Layer Manufacturing (SALM) is a novel process for rapid prototyping/ tooling/ manufacture (RP/RT/RM) which is presently undergoing feasibility studies. SALM is based on layered manufacturing technology (LMT). Initially it develops the shell (boundaries) of a selected layer using a technique similar to fused deposition modelling (FDM). The developed shell is filled with a UV curable resin and is exposed to UV radiation for curing. This procedure is repeated until the complete part is built. This paper compares and contrasts properties of parts made using two options available with the SALM technique: building the part using a soluble shell (FDM support structure material, finally dissolved to recover the part); or using a polymer material such as ABS that is bonded with the resin whilst making the part.Mechanical Engineerin

Using mixed methods for analysing culture : The Cultural Capital and Social Exclusion project

This paper discusses the use of material generated in a mixed method investigation into cultural tastes and practices, conducted in Britain from 2003 to 2006, which employed a survey, focus groups and household interviews. The study analysed the patterning of cultural life across a number of fields, enhancing the empirical and methodological template provided by Bourdieu’s Distinction. Here we discuss criticisms of Bourdieu emerging from subsequent studies of class, culture and taste, outline the arguments related to the use of mixed methods and present illustrative results from the analysis of these different types of data. We discuss how the combination of quantitative and qualitative methods informed our analysis of cultural life in contemporary Britain. No single method was able to shed light on all aspects of our inquiry, lending support to the view that mixing methods is the most productive strategy for the investigation of complex social phenomena

The pion mass dependence of the nucleon form-factors of the energy momentum tensor in the chiral quark-soliton model

The nucleon form factors of the energy-momentum tensor are studied in the large-Nc limit in the framework of the chiral quark-soliton model for model parameters that simulate physical situations in which pions are heavy. This allows for a direct comparison to lattice QCD results.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figure

Household water security through stored rainwater and consumer acceptability: a case study of the Anuradhapura District

Rainwater harvesting has increased in popularity in Sri Lanka over the past two decades due to the number of water supply projects funded by the government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The stored rainwater can provide accessible, reliable, timely and adequate supplies of water to households but there are uncertainties as to safety, in terms of water quality, and consumer acceptability. A study was, therefore, conducted in the Anuradhapura District, in the dry zone, to assess consumer acceptability of stored rainwater for household purposes and to conduct rainwater quality tests in a laboratory. The majority of households in Anuradhapura meet their drinking water requirements from protected wells (59.6 %). Prior to the project, people greatly preferred open wells as a source of domestic water, followed by tubewells, because they believed that water in open wells is of good quality and drinkable. However, stored rainwater has become the priority source now, especially through roof rainwater harvesting (RRWH), which is used during the dry periods. The study revealed that more than 85 % of households use stored rainwater for drinking although some have concerns over the quality and only drink it after boiling. The easy accessibility of water and the assurance by the project team that it is of good quality are the main reasons that people are willing to drink it. The acceptability of stored rainwater for consumption was very high in water-scarce areas and with the increasing distance to the nearest and alternative sources of good-quality water. Of those who felt that they had adequate water, 84 % of the sample households found it adequate in the wet season but only 21 % in the dry season. Water quality analysis revealed that the chemical and physical quality of stored rainwater is within the acceptable range with respect to Sri Lankan Standards, SLS: 614, for potable water quality (SLIS 1983). Other domestic water sources exceeded standards for electrical conductivity, total alkalinity, hardness, ammonium nitrogen, fluorides and total iron. However, stored rainwater was of lower biological quality than other domestic water sources.Length: pp.87-97Domestic waterWater securityWater harvestingWater qualityRural areasCase studies

Investigation of the agricultural resources in Sri Lanka

The author has identified the following significant results. Several in-house capabilities were developed. The facilities to prepare color composites of excellent quality were developed, using bulk B/W 70 mm transparencies or 1:1,000,000 positive transparencies. These color composites were studied through optical devices on light tables. A zoom transfer scope was also added, enabling direct transfer of LANDSAT composite data on to base maps

Caracterização do meio físico de sistemas silvipastoris implantados em unidades de produção familiar no estado de Rondônia.

Os sistemas silvipastoris (SSP?s) são sugeridos como alternativa para recuperar a biodiversidade funcional em agroecossistemas e a caracterização do meio físico representa uma ferramenta importante no processo de transferência de tecnologia considerando as semelhanças entre as regiões. O presente estudo tem como objetivo caracterizar o meio físico nas 14 propriedades do Projeto Silvipastoril implementado no estado de Rondônia. O meio físico foi caracterizado por meio do cruzamento de informações dos pontos georeferenciados das unidades produtivas onde foram implantados os SSP?s com àquelas disponíveis no banco de dados da SEDAM e do IBGE, no que se refere ao clima, geomorfologia, geologia, vegetação e pedologia. Utilizou-se o programa TerraView, desenvolvido pelo INPE, para a construção do sistema de informações geográficas. A variação da precipitação pluvimétrica entre as propriedades foi de 700 mm. Os temas geologia e pedologia foram os que apresentam maiores variações, enquanto que a vegetação apresentou menor diversidade de tipo. Todas as propriedades estão localizadas dentro das áreas permitidas para as atividades agropecuárias, segundo o zoneamento sócio-econômico-ecológico do estado de Rondônia. Porém, a grande variação entre o meio físico das propriedades estudadas sugere que as intervenções técnicas sejam especificas para cada propriedade

Vulnerabilidade à perda de solo nos sistemas silvipastoris implantados em unidades de produção familiar no estado de Rondônia.

A degradação de pastagem representa um grave problema econômico e ambiental em Rondônia. A recuperação da capacidade produtiva dessas áreas constitui uma forma de promover a expansão das áreas de pastagem. Entre as estratégias para essa recuperação, os sistemas silvipastoris (SSP). O presente estudo tem como objetivo avaliar a vulnerabilidade à erosão através da caracterização do meio físico em 14 propriedades do Projeto Silvipastoril implementados no Estado de Rondônia. A vulnerabilidade foi obtida da média dos temas do meio físico (clima, geomorfologia, geologia, vegetação e pedologia) em cada unidade de produção. As unidades de produção familiares foram classificadas em duas faixas, moderado estável (índice 1,4 a 1,8) e mediano estável vulnerável (índice 1,8 a 2,3). A unidade que apresentou valor mais vulnerável (índice 2,16), foi a propriedade 10 e o menor valor (menos vulnerável) foram as propriedades 1 e 8 que apresentaram índice 1,58. Independentemente, práticas conservacionistas deverão ser realizadas em todas as unidades

The generator coordinate method in time-dependent density-functional theory: memory made simple

The generator coordinate (GC) method is a variational approach to the quantum many-body problem in which interacting many-body wave functions are constructed as superpositions of (generally nonorthogonal) eigenstates of auxiliary Hamiltonians containing a deformation parameter. This paper presents a time-dependent extension of the GC method as a new approach to improve existing approximations of the exchange-correlation (XC) potential in time-dependent density-functional theory (TDDFT). The time-dependent GC method is shown to be a conceptually and computationally simple tool to build memory effects into any existing adiabatic XC potential. As an illustration, the method is applied to driven parametric oscillations of two interacting electrons in a harmonic potential (Hooke's atom). It is demonstrated that a proper choice of time-dependent generator coordinates in conjunction with the adiabatic local-density approximation reproduces the exact linear and nonlinear two-electron dynamics quite accurately, including features associated with double excitations that cannot be captured by TDDFT in the adiabatic approximation.Comment: 10 pages, 13 figure