The ITS-90 after definition of neon isotopic reference composition. Extent of the isotopic effect on previous inter-comparison results

Starting from the end of the past century, the importance has been recognized of the effect of isotopic composition on some of the temperature fixed points for the most accurate realizations of the ITS-90. In the original definition of the latter, dating back to 1990, only a generic reference was made to natural composition of the substances used for the realization of the fixed points, except for helium. The definition of a reference isotopic composition for three fixed points, e-H2, Ne and H2O, while eliminating the non-uniqueness of the Scale in this respect, induced detectable differences in the present and future realizations of the Scale, at the highest accuracy level, with respect to the previous realizations, when they affected the results of past key comparisons, namely the K1 and K1.1, and K2 and K2.1 to K2.5 and the related regional and supplementary ones. The paper provides evidence of the extent of this effect by using the results of the relevant key comparisons for Neon archived in the BIPM KCDB, and of other comparisons existing in the literature: 1979-1984, 2007-2012 and 2009-2010 sealed cell comparisons; and discusses the meaning and the outcomes of this evaluation.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures, 4 tables. BIPM, Doc. CCT/17-1

Comparison of xenon triple point realizations

It is widely recognized that the Mercury triple point (MTP) being situated very close to the Water triple point (WTP) constitutes a weakness in the International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90), in addition to safety concerns related to the use and transportation of Mercury. As such, a substitution for a safer, high-quality fixed point about half way between the Argon and Water triple points would be highly desirable. Now, a direct comparison is described of a Xenon cell filled in 2005 by the National Research Council Canada (NRC) and a more recently produced cell of the Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (INRIM). The present paper discusses the INRiM 2017 measurements on both the INRiM and NRC cells, with a follow-up measurement at NRC, and presents the difference between the two cells, (0.17 ± 0.08) mK with the uncertainties of each cell’s realization of the Xenon triple point (XeTP), 0.11 mK for the INRiM cell and 0.07 mK for the NRC cell (k = 1). In addition, the effect of substituting Mercury with Xenon on Type 1 non-uniqueness (‘SRI’, subrange inconsistency), Type 3 non-uniqueness (‘NU3’, cSPRT variability) and propagation of fixed point realization uncertainty is shown and discussed

Characterization of a New Zinc Fixed-Point Cell for ITS-90 Realization

A new zinc fixed-point cell for the dissemination of International Temperature Scale (ITS-90) was realized at the Italian National Metrological Institute (Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica, INRiM). This paper presents the results of its characterization, including fabrication details. In particular, immersion effects and influences of impurities on the freezing point of zinc were studied. The new open-type cell was prepared using a high purity sample, chemically analyzed, and the depression of the fixed-point temperature was calculated using the method of Sum of Individual Estimates (SIE). The new cell presents a smaller freezing point depression compared with the national reference for which the Overall Maximum Estimate (OME) method was applied. This behavior was confirmed also by the direct comparison of the two cells. These results provide confidence on the agreement between the experimental comparison and the SIE/OME evaluation. Finally, the improvement of the new zinc cell is reflected also in a lower uncertainty budget for the fixed-point realization

Methodiek arbeidsmarktprognoses en -indicatoren 1999-2004

In dit werkdocument wordt een overzicht gegeven van de methodiek die is gehanteerd bij het opstellen van de arbeidsmarktprognoses naar opleiding en beroep tot 2004 en de bijbehorende arbeidsmarktindicatoren ten behoeve van het rapport De arbeidsmarkt naar opleiding en beroep tot 2004 en de bijbehorende Statistische Bijlage. Het ROA brengt deze arbeidsmarktinformatie uit in het kader van het Project Onderwijs - Arbeidsmarkt (POA). De gegevens – die een beeld geven van de arbeidsmarktpositie van opleidingen en beroepen – zijn ook gebruikt door het LDC Expertisecentrum voor loopbaanvraagstukken, onder andere in de publicatie Kansen op werk 2004 en de op CD-ROM verkrijgbare Traject-reeks.education, training and the labour market;

2022 Update for the Differences Between Thermodynamic Temperature and ITS-90 Below 335 K

In 2011, a working group of the Consultative Committee for Thermometry published their best estimates of the differences between the thermodynamic temperature T and its approximation (T-90), the temperature according to the International Temperature Scale of 1990, ITS-90. These consensus estimates, in combination with measurements made in accordance with ITS-90, are an important alternative to primary thermometry for those requiring accurate measurements of thermodynamic temperature. Since 2011, there has been a change in the definition of the kelvin and significant improvements in primary thermometry. This paper updates the (T - T-90) estimates by combining and analyzing the data used for the 2011 estimates and data from more recent primary thermometry. The results of the analysis are presented as a 12th-order polynomial representing the updated consensus values for the differences and a sixth-order polynomial for their uncertainty estimates. (C) 2022 Author(s)

Connecting consumers with local produce: Insights for a local food provisioning app.

Food supply chain resilience has been challenged in recent times due to climatic, political and health (pandemic) factors. Food transportation contributes 26% of carbon emissions globally.1 Within Europe food is transported an average of 171km from farm to fork2. EU citizens waste over 58 million tonnes of food annually3 at an estimated cost of €132bn4. To address such issues, greater resilience must be built into future supply systems to reduce food waste, support the next generation of food producers with a fair income, and ensure food security for all European citizens. Utilising short food supply chains (SFSC) where ‘local’ food is sold through a limited number of intermediaries, with independent price setting for producers, and full production information available for consumers, may address these challenges. Given perceived proximity can increase the positive perception of mobile apps5, such a development could enable a SFSC that allows for dynamic food supply in local areas. This study seeks to understand consumers’ drivers and barriers in local food provisioning, and more specifically the potential for digital provisioning solutions (e.g. apps). Five focus groups were conducted across five countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Spain, UK) with a total of 35 participants. Provisioning of local and/or non-local food, and the use/non-use of digital tools were explored. A semi-inductive, thematical approach was taken for the analysis, inspired by grounded theory.6 Findings covered three key areas: 1) definitions of local food, 2) drivers and barriers to local food provisioning, and 3) drivers and barriers in food provisioning with digital tools. Firstly, exploring consumers depictions of local food led to a heterogeneous and multifactorial definition of ‘local food’. Key criteria discussed were origin, distance, type of products, number of intermediaries, packaging, type of transport, seasonality, and the context of purchase. Secondly, drivers of local food provisioning were found to be better quality (taste, freshness, healthiness), less waste/food waste, seasonality, and a reduction in the associated carbon footprint (although this was mentioned less than other drivers). Barriers to local food provisioning came in the form of expense as local food was considered more highly priced than alternatives, (although some saw this as a sacrifice to be made), lack of information (at times causing distrust) in the origin and length of the supply chain meaning consumers could not be certain it was ‘local’, and a lack of diversity. Thirdly, drivers of utilising digital tools for food provisioning were established as convenience (gaining of time, a simplified daily/weekly schedule, physical ease), along with a reduction on one’s mental load (through easily finding recipes, etc.), and finally financial drivers with consumers stating they had more control over expenses with a digital tool. Barriers to food provisioning using digital tools, were stated as a lack of variety in both products and recipes, waste associated with packaging, the proximity of other offers (such as those found in stores), and a loss of benefits such as interaction and physical presence (touch/smell, sociability) found with in-person food provisioning. This research establishes that whilst consumers may perceive some barriers to using digital tools in food provisioning, there is still potential for their use in SFSC. Future research will look to explore these results further through a larger quantitative consumer study

Argon Triple-Point Device for Calibration of SPRTs

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Private trade and monopoly structures : the East India Companies and the commodity trade to Europe in the eighteenth century

Our research is about the trade in material goods from Asia to Europe over this period, and its impact on Europe’s consumer and industrial cultures. It entails a comparative study of Europe’s East India Companies and the private trade from Asia over the period. The commodities trade was heavily dependent on private trade. The historiography to date has left a blind spot in this area, concentrating instead on corruption and malfeasance. Taking a global history approach we investigate the trade in specific consumer goods in many qualities and varieties that linked merchant communities and stimulated information flows. We set out how private trade functioned alongside and in connection with the various European East India companies; we investigate how this changed over time, how it drew on the Company infrastructure, and how it took the risks and developed new and niche markets for specific Asian commodities that the Companies could not sustain

Dutch Robotics 2011 adult-size team description

This document presents the 2011 edition of the team Dutch Robotics from The Netherlands. Our team gathers three Dutch technical universities, namely Delft University of Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology and University of Twente, and the commercial company Philips. We contribute an adult-size humanoid robot TUlip, which is designed based on theory of the limit cycle walking developed in our earlier research. The key of our theory is that stable periodic walking gaits can be achieved even without high-bandwidth robot position control. Our control approach is based on simultaneous position and force control. For accurate force control, we make use of the Series Elastic Actuation. The control software of TUlip is based on the Darmstadt’s RoboFrame, and it runs on a PC104 computer with Linux Xenomai. The vision system consists of two wide-angle cameras, each interfaced with a dedicated Blackfin processor running vision algorithms, and a wireless networking interface

Dutch Robotics 2010 adult-size team description

This document presents the 2010 edition of the team Dutch Robotics from The Netherlands. Our team gathers three Dutch technical universities, namely Delft University of Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology and University of Twente, and the commercial company Philips. We contribute an adult-size humanoid robot TUlip, which is designed based on theory of the limit cycle walking developed in our earlier research. The key of our theory is that stable periodic walking gaits can be achieved even without high-bandwidth robot position control. Our control approach is based on simultaneous position and force control. For accurate force control, we make use of the Series Elastic Actuation. The control software of TUlip is based on the Darmstadt’s RoboFrame, and it runs on a PC104 computer with Linux Xenomai. The vision system consists of two wide-angle cameras, each interfaced with a dedicated Blackfin processor running vision algorithms, and a wireless networking interface