OPTICON: EC Optical Infrared Coordination Network for Astronomy

OPTICON, the ICN Optical Infrared Coordination Network for Astronomy, brings together for the first time the operators of all Europe's medium to large optical-infrared telescopes, the largest corresponding data archives, and several user representatives. The OPTICON partners work with their communities to identify those major challenges for the future development of European optical-infrared astronomy which require Europe-wide collaboration. OPTICON sponsors and coordinates developments towards these goals, involving the entire astronomical community through workshops and meetings targeted towards these agreed common goals of general importance.Comment: to appear in Organizations and Strategies in Astronomy II, Ed. A. Heck, Kluwer Acad. Pub

Homunculi Are People Too! Lewis's Definition of Personhood Debugged

David Lewis defends the following "non-circular definition of personhood": "something is a continuant person if and only if it is a maximal R-interrelated aggregate of person-stages. That is: if and only if it is an aggregate of person-stages, each of which is R-related to all the rest (and to itself), and it is a proper part of no other such aggregate." I give a counterexample, involving a person who is a part of another, much larger person, with a separate mental life. I then offer an easy repair, which preserves the virtues of Lewis's definition without introducing any new vices

Ultrasonic Polishing

The ultrasonic polishing process makes use of the high-frequency (ultrasonic) vibrations of an abradable tool which automatically conforms to the work piece and an abrasive slurry to finish surfaces and edges on complex, highly detailed, close tolerance cavities in materials from beryllium copper to carbide. Applications range from critical deburring of guidance system components to removing EDM recast layers from aircraft engine components to polishing molds for forming carbide cutting tool inserts or injection molding plastics. A variety of materials including tool steels, carbides, and even ceramics can be successfully processed. Since the abradable tool automatically conforms to the work piece geometry, the ultrasonic finishing method described offers a number of important benefits in finishing components with complex geometries

The Secured Transactions Article of the Commercial Code

Antalet personer som skadas bland golvläggare är ca 1.5 % per år och de skador som uppkommer är hand och knäskador. Det är inte den grupp inom byggindustrin som har störst skadefrekvens men endast en låg andel klarar av att arbeta ända till pensionen.  Detta examensarbete har haft till syfte att ge en objektiv bild av arbetsmiljön för golvläggare, och ta fram brister och förslag på förbättringar. Det har gjorts efter önskemål från Golvbranschen Öst och Lars Johnsson som under lång tid sett problem i branschen.  Jag har gjort intervjuer med golvläggare och leverantörer (se sidan 34) och observationer på arbetsplatser, tagit fram statistiskt underlag från arbetsmiljöverket över skador och gjort litteraturstudier på forskning inom området. Jag kom fram till att arbetsskador framför allt orsakas av dåligt anpassad skyddsutrustning och även golvmaterial levererade i för stora förpackningar. Golv levereras i längder som är svåra att hantera manuellt och väger ofta hundratals kilo. Därför blir hjälpmedel som bygghissar mycket viktigt för att förebygga arbetsskador, trots att dessa ofta plockas bort i förtid. Det finns mycket som kan förbättras på området, bland annat bättre anpassad utrustning och golv/mattbeläggning som levereras i mindre storlekar och vikter.Yearly injuries among flooring contractors caused from work are 1.5 %. And the most common body part to be injured is hand and knee. This group is not the most injured in the building industry but a very low percent manage to work until retirement. The purpose of this essay has been to give a view of the working environment in this industry, with deficiencies and improvement possibilities. The method has been interviews and observation studies at construction places, processing of statistics from Swedish work environment authority and literature studies of research in the area. The findings made was that injuries mostly are caused by badly adapted safety equipment and extremely heavy building material with very high weight. Limitations in working environment when building elevators is taken away too early also causes problems. Work is often done with piecework pay and this induce higher speed and increase risk of injuries. Today many areas can be improved, for example safety equipment and size/weight of building material