The effect of tyres and a rubber track at high axle loads on soil compaction-Part 2: Multi-axle machine studies

This paper reports on a study of the effect of the passage of multi-axle harvesting machines on the soil physical properties. In particular, it investigates the effect of the rear tyre of a combine harvester on the amount of soil compaction subsequent to the passage of the front tyre/track. The work was conducted in controlled laboratory conditions to determine the effect of a simulated self-propelled combine harvester with a total machine weight of 30–33 t. This was assessed by embedding talcum powder tracer lines in the soil to measure soil displacement and soil density changes. Dry bulk density and penetrometer resistance were also measured. The results showed that the benefit of the rubber track found by Ansorge and Godwin [2007a. The effect of tyres and a rubber track at high axle loads on soil compaction: Part 1: Single Axle Studies. Biosystems Engineering 98 (1), 115–126] was maintained after the additional passage of the rear tyre. After the passage of a track the effect of rear tyre size was insignificant, but the rear tyre size had a significant influence on soil density when following a leading tyre. This was due to a higher strength layer at the soil surface created by the track which was able to withstand the load of the subsequent passes and protect the soil below from further compaction. Results similar to those found for a tracked machine were also achieved by three passes of a 900 mm section width tyre at 5 t load and 0.5 bar inflation pressure. The track results for the 33 t machine were very similar to those of a smaller combine harvester with a total load of 11 t and similar rut width. The study confirmed the benefit of tracks with regard to soil compaction and emphasised the fact that total axle loads and machine weights are less important than how the loads are distributed to the soil

On the forward-backward correlations in a two-stage scenario

It is demonstrated that in a two-stage scenario with elementary Poissonian emitters of particles (colour strings) arbitrarily distributed in their number and average multiplicities, the forward- backward correlations are completely determined by the final distribution of the forward particles. The observed linear form of the correlations then necessarily requires this distribution to have a negative binomial form. For emitters with a negative binomial distribution of the produced particles distributed so as to give the final distribution also of a negative binomial form, the forward-backward correlations have an essentially non-linear form, which disagrees with the experimental data.Comment: 14 pages in LaTex, 1 figure in Postscrip

Faith & Fable Islamic Manuscripts from Cambridge University Library

The first Islamic manuscript to enter the Library was a copy of the Qur’an donated in 1631 by the Arabic scholar William Bedwell. Since that time the Library’s Islamic manuscripts collection has grown in size and diversity to over 5,000 items. They shed a light on many aspects of the culture of the Islamic world, its beliefs and learning. Such a collection was amassed over subsequent centuries either from scholarly collectors or purchased by skilled librarians to add more depth to the already impressive range of treasures. But this extraordinary collection has remained relatively unknown outside the Library. Today, the aim is to change this with a number of different approaches. We are creating a fully searchable online catalogue of the manuscripts and digitising a selection of the most beautiful and interesting texts to make them available to the international scholarly community anywhere in the world via the internet. At the same time, the practical care of the original items, carried out by our own skilled conservators, will ensure their long-term survival for future generations. The Islamic manuscripts collection is supported within the Library by a team of specialists whose knowledge and skills, whether academic, practical or technical, aim to bring them to the attention of researchers. But only with a sustained programme of scholarly co-operation with experts outside the Library can the full content and significance of these texts be realised and their place in the wider context of Islamic scholarship become established

Oceanographic observations of eddies impacting the Prince Edward Islands, South Africa

The ecosystem of the isolated Prince Edward Islands, south of the African continent, is strongly impacted by ocean eddies that are associated with the eastward flowing Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Satellite altimetry has revealed that the archipelago lies in a region of enhanced eddy kinetic energy. In the late 1990s it became apparent that in order to understand the influence of these eddies on the islands' ecosystem, the source, trajectory and nature of these eddies needed to be studied and understood. To this end a special research project with a strong ocean-going component was designed, the DEIMEC (Dynamics of Eddy Impact on Marion's ECosystem) programme. In this review we focus on the physical oceanography and summarize the aims, the results and the successes of this South African research initiative. In the vicinity of the Prince Edward Islands, an average of three intense well-defined eddies is observed per year. Their advection speeds are of the order of a few kilometres per day and longevities of 7-11 months. These features, of c. 100 km in diameter and reaching depths of at least 1000 m, transport anomalous water masses across the Polar Frontal Zone

Lift Smart, Lift Heavy

CrossFit and weightlifting have been on the rise as a popular sport of choice for men and women. It can be intense and taxing on the body, but also fun and rewarding. There’s no better feeling than when you finally hit a new personal record, lifting more than you ever have before. With weightlifting, however, come the “mystery bruises” that you don’t realize you’re giving yourself until you get home and look in the mirror. That is why I am going to attempt to answer the question of: How might we design athletic gear that protects weight lifting and CrossFit athletes in areas that bruise from repetitive contact with the barbell? Through research it has been found that the most commonly impacted and bruised area of the body when weight lifting is the collarbone. The goal of this product is to provide an effective and non-intrusive, impact resistant solution to cover and protect the collarbone. The proposed Catch Guard is worn around the athlete’s neck and extends down the chest to cushion the blow of the barbell on the collar bones

Developmental communication difficulties in adulthood : |b life outcomes, family experiences, and transitions at post-16.

This thesis presents an exploration of outcomes for pupils and ex-pupils of a residential special school for severe and complex developmental speech and language difficulties (SLD), and the views and experiences of their families and the education staff who work with them. The thesis is divided into three parts. Part one presents a study that recruited seventeen ex-pupils of the school and three of their non-language impaired siblings to map the stability of their language, literacy and nonverbal abilities over the life span. Only three ex-pupils resolved their language difficulties. In the others there was evidence for a relationship between severity and pervasiveness of SLD. Literacy difficulties were the most persistent type of difficulty in adulthood. Four ex-pupils also experienced a drop in nonverbal ability with age. The siblings outperformed the ex-pupils on psychometric testing. Part two presents two studies of the psychosocial outcomes and life experiences of the ex-pupil and sibling cohort described in part one. The first study used semi-structured interviews to document their psychosocial outcomes which were wide ranging. Academic and employment outcomes were more strongly related to persisting levels of SLD than friendships and relationships. Independent living proved to be an area of difficulty and issues with financial management were the biggest barrier to this. The second study documented the life experiences of the parents of 8 ex-pupils of the school and the three siblings. Raising a child with SLD proved to be challenging on three levels: children’s care was demanding; families needed to fight for access to support, and limited knowledge of SLD in the public domain. Part two also found a strong preference for special schooling over mainstream education; support outside the school environment often had negative experiences attached to it. Part three presents a prospective study of post-16 pupils before leaving full time education. It reports the views, experiences and expectations of fifteen pupils attending the school’s further education (FE) department, five of these pupils’ parents and eight learning support assistants (LSA). Leaving FE was associated with challenges for the future, such as gaining employment. A clear demand for ongoing support for adults with persisting SLD at post-16 and beyond was also found

Multiplicities in ultrarelativistic proton-(anti)proton collisions and negative binomial distribution fits

Likelihood ratio tests are performed for the hypothesis that charged-particle multiplicities measured in proton-(anti)proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 0.9 and 2.36 TeV are distributed according to the negative binomial form. Results indicate that the hypothesis should be rejected in the all cases of ALICE-LHC measurements in the limited pseudo-rapidity windows, whereas should be accepted in the corresponding cases of UA5 data. Possible explanations of that and of the disagreement with the least-squares fitting method are given.Comment: 14 pages, clarified version, reference added. To appear in International Journal of Modern Physics