Plenary talk - Applied HTS research and practical applications in Europe

The development of long-length, high current density Bi2Sr 2CaCu2Ox wires and (RE)Ba2Cu 3Oy coated conductors has now advanced such that superconducting magnets for energy applications and high field applications are progressing rapidly. Europe, along with China, Korea the US and Japan is an important player in the development and exploitation of High Temperature Superconductors in practical applications. © 2013 IEEE.

Physicochemical characteristics and droplet impact dynamics of superhydrophobic carbon nanotube arrays.

The physicochemical and droplet impact dynamics of superhydrophobic carbon nanotube arrays are investigated. These superhydrophobic arrays are fabricated simply by exposing the as-grown carbon nanotube arrays to a vacuum annealing treatment at a moderate temperature. This treatment, which allows a significant removal of oxygen adsorbates, leads to a dramatic change in wettability of the arrays, from mildly hydrophobic to superhydrophobic. Such change in wettability is also accompanied by a substantial change in surface charge and electrochemical properties. Here, the droplet impact dynamics are characterized in terms of critical Weber number, coefficient of restitution, spreading factor, and contact time. Based on these characteristics, it is found that superhydrophobic carbon nanotube arrays are among the best water-repellent surfaces ever reported. The results presented herein may pave a way for the utilization of superhydrophobic carbon nanotube arrays in numerous industrial and practical applications, including inkjet printing, direct injection engines, steam turbines, and microelectronic fabrication.

A Facile and Practical One-Pot Synthesis of beta-Oxo Thioamides from beta-Oxo Amides and Isothiocyanates

A facile and practical one-pot synthesis of beta-oxo thioamides from beta-oxo amides has been developed. By treatment with isothiocyanates in ethanol in the presence of potassium carbonate, a series of beta-oxo amides was converted, under reflux, in high yields into the corresponding beta-oxo thioamides.

Undrained behaviour of two silica sands and practical implications for modelling SSI in liquefiable soils.

The aim of the present study is twofold. Firstly, the paper investigates the undrained cyclic and post-cyclic behaviour of two silica sands by means of multi-stage cyclic triaxial tests. Secondly, based on the post-cyclic response observed in the element test, the authors formulate a simplified stress–strain relationship that can be conveniently used for the construction of p–y curves for liquefiable soils. The multi-stage loading condition consists of an initial cyclic loading applied to cause liquefaction, followed by undrained monotonic loading that aimed to investigate the post-cyclic response of the liquefied sample. It was found that due to the tendency of the liquefied soil to dilate upon undrained shearing, the post-liquefaction strain–stress response was characterised by a distinct strain–hardening behaviour. The latter is idealized by means of a bi-linear stress–strain model, which can be conveniently formulated in terms of three parameters, i.e.: (i) take-off shear strain, γto, i.e. shear strain required to mobilize 1 kPa of shear strength; (b) initial secant shear modulus, G1, defined as 1/γto; (c) post-liquefied shear modulus at large strain, G2 (γ⪢γto). Based on the experimental results, it is concluded that these parameters are strongly influenced by the initial relative density of the sample, whereby γto decreases with increasing relative density. Differently both shear moduli (G1 and G2) increases with increasing relative density. Lastly, the construction of new p–y curves for liquefiable soils based on the idealized bi-linear model is described.

Identifying Barriers and Practical Solutions to Conducting Site-Based Research in North America: Exploring Acute Heart Failure Trials As a Case Study.

Although the prognosis of ambulatory heart failure (HF) has improved dramatically there have been few advances in the management of acute HF (AHF). Despite regional differences in patient characteristics, background therapy, and event rates, AHF clinical trial enrollment has transitioned from North America and Western Europe to Eastern Europe, South America, and Asia-Pacific where regulatory burden and cost of conducting research may be less prohibitive. It is unclear if the results of clinical trials conducted outside of North America are generalizable to US patient populations. This article uses AHF as a paradigm and identifies barriers and practical solutions to successfully conducting site-based research in North America.

Philosophers and practical men: Charles Babbage, Irish merchants and the economics of information

Before the emergence of coordination of production by firms, manufacturers and merchants traded in markets with asymmetric information. Evidence suggests that the practical knowledge thus gained by these agents was well in advance of contemporary political economists and anticipates twentieth-century developments in the economics of information. Charles Babbage, who regarded merchants and manufacturers as the chief sources of reliable economic data, drew on this knowledge as revealed in the evidence of manufacturers and merchants presented to House of Commons select committees to make an important pioneering contribution to the theory of production and exchange with information asymmetries.

Conference Reflections. Some Practice and Practical Implications of Banning the Physical Punishment of Children through Legislation.

This brief paper represents the reflections of a participant at the recent conference ‘The Physical Punishment of Children’ organised jointly by Child Care in Practice and The Office of Law Reform. The participant’s reflections are related to his roles both as a Family Therapist and as a Guardian Ad Litem. The writer largely accepts the academic and moral arguments in respect of making the physical punishment of children a legal offence, so eloquently put by the main speakers. He wishes, however, to draw out some of the practical and practice implications which need to be considered alongside the implementation of such legislative change.

Evidencing reflective practice in social work education: Theoretical uncertainties and practical challenges

Reflective practice has become an increasingly influential idea in social work education and, in the UK context, it has recently been acknowledged as key to ensuring that social workers are better equipped to engage in complex decision making and effective practice. However, there remains a lack of clarity about how this concept is defined and operationalised in teaching and learning and there has been little systematic empirical examination of its utility in facilitating professional development. Drawing on research with undergraduates at Queen's University Belfast, this paper aims to develop understanding of students' experience of reflective practice. The results suggest that agency systems that have become over-reliant on rules and procedures present formidable obstacles to learning both at an individual and at an organisational level. The paper argues that the relationship between how reflective practice is taught and how it is enacted in practice needs to be better understood if such obstacles are to be overcome. The paper concludes by considering the implications of the findings for developing reflective practice in social work education and practice and highlights the challenges that need to be addressed if reflection and critical thinking are to become more firmly embedded within agency systems and practice cultures.