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

Double beta decay of 48^{48}Ca

$^{48}$Ca, the lightest double beta decay candidate, is the only one simple enough to be treated exactly in the nuclear shell model. Thus, the $\beta\beta(2\nu)$ half-life measurement, reported here, provides a unique test of the nuclear physics involved in the $\beta\beta$ matrix element calculation. Enriched $^{48}$Ca sources of two different thicknesses have been exposed in a time projection chamber, and yield T$_{1/2}^{2\nu} = (4.3^{+2.4}_{-1.1} [{\rm stat.}] \pm 1.4 [{\rm syst.}]) \times 10^{19}$ years, compatible with the shell model calculations.Comment: 4 pages, LaTex, 3 figures imbedded, PRL forma

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

Electromagnetic properties of the Delta(1232) and decuplet baryons in the self-consistent SU(3) chiral quark-soliton model

We examine the electromagnetic properties of the Delta(1232) resonance within the self-consistent chiral quark-soliton model. In particular we present the Delta form factors of the vector-current GE0, GE2 and GM1 for a momentum-transfer range of $Q^{2} \leq 1GeV^{2}$. We apply the symmetry-conserving quantization of the soliton and take 1/N_c rotational corrections into account. Values for the magnetic moments of all decuplet baryons as well as for the N-Delta transition are given. Special interest is also given to the electric quadrupole moment of the Delta.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figure

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

Theory of the Normal/Superfluid interface in population imbalanced Fermi gases

We present a series of theoretical studies of the boundary between a superfluid and normal region in a partially polarized gas of strongly interacting fermions. We present mean-field estimates of the surface energy in this boundary as a function of temperature and scattering length. We discuss the structure of the domain wall, and use a previously introduced phenomonological model to study its influence on experimental observables. Our microscopic mean-field calculations are not consistent with the magnitude of the surface tension found from our phenomonological modelling of data from the Rice experiments. We conclude that one must search for novel mechanisms to explain the experiments.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures (13 subfigures) -- v2: minor change