scholarly journals The Italian contribution to the construction of the linac for the European spallation source

Author(s):  
S. Gammino ◽  
A. Fabris ◽  
M. Lindroos

AbstractThe European spallation source (ESS) uses a linear accelerator (linac) to deliver the high intensity proton beam to the target station for producing intense beams of neutrons. At the exit of the linac, the proton beam will have 2 GeV energy and 62.5 mA current. The construction of an accelerator with the contribution of different laboratories is not a new concept but so far the laboratories were controlled by the same government (e.g. in USA and Japan) or they delivered components for an intergovernmental institution like CERN. The European Spallation Source is a research facility that gathers 40 active in-kind (IK) contributors from 13 States, even outside the European Union, so its construction is not only a technical and scientific challenge, but also an economic, political and social experiment. The case of the Italian contribution is interesting because of the structure of Italian industrial ecosystem, mostly based on small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), which may be unsuitable for the case of a research infrastructure which construction requires a high level of R&D investments. Conversely, the well-known flexibility of SME to adapt to the requirements have balanced the weakness and the results are satisfactory. Following the overview of the Linac design, the paper will focus on the key issues of the Italian contribution, the state of the project (73% completion up to now) along with the point of view of the ESS management and the lesson learnt; the major outcomes for the economy and society will complete the discussion.

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 286-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bendik Bygstad ◽  
Gjermund Lanestedt

Purpose The paper aims to add knowledge on the status of the welfare technology field. Politicians in mature economies expect welfare technologies – especially digital technologies – to contribute to bridging the gap between an increasing number of elderly and a shrinking work force. Theoretically, the paper deals with welfare technologies in a digital infrastructure perspective. Design/methodology/approach A multilevel and comparative study was conducted to understand the interplay of high-level policies and implementation projects and highlight key issues through comparative analysis of different national approaches. Japan and Norway were the chosen countries because they are both in the forefront in the use of welfare technologies. Findings Findings reveal similarities between the two countries, which are echoed in many other countries: although government expectations are high, the field of welfare technology is still in its infancy and only rather simple solutions (such as safety alarms) are widely used. Key differences in innovation strategies for welfare technology in the two countries are highlighted, where Japan seem to be aiming for a vertical integration through large corporations’ solutions, whereas Norway aims for a more open innovation arena through standardization. Originality/value From a practical point of view, the two countries have something to learn from each other, but, in particular, both countries are recommended – together with other similar countries – a more platform-oriented approach. Theoretically, it is shown that a successful implementation of welfare technologies should adopt a digital infrastructure approach and exploit the generative mechanisms of this approach.


elni Review ◽  
2011 ◽  
pp. 36-42
Author(s):  
Tania Van Laer

This paper investigates whether EU law allows Member States to justify, on the basis of animal welfare, unilateral measures that impose trade restrictions. Since new developments – that might resolve the problem of Member States pursuing a high level of protection of animal welfare – seem to be on their way, it is necessary to highlight the issue both from the traditional point of view as well as from the possible future one. The paper also sets out more extensively the problem with unilateral measures aiming at a high level of animal welfare, at the same time serving as a reminder for the reader of the main principles of the free movement of goods. Furthermore, it describes the established view of the Court of Justice with regard to Art. 36 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and the rule of reason, and the possible changes under discussion at the moment.


Clay Minerals ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Kaufhold ◽  
R. Dohrmann

AbstractOne of today's big challenges is to store safely the increasing amount of high-level radioactive waste (HLRW) in the world. In some of the concepts devised for this challenge, bentonite, a natural swelling clay, plays a key role in encasing the canisters containing the waste. The use of bentonite as a geotechnical barrier in HLRWrepositories is a new venture; specifications to ensure either optimum performance or that a minimum standard is reached at least do not exist yet. The present study summarizes relevant research and discusses possible HLRW-bentonite specifications. The importance of these specifications for any given repositories has to be assessed on a case by case basis, depending on the concept being employed and any special circumstances for the individual repositories.Ten key issues were identified which were used to discuss bentonite specifications. In some of these key issues the optimum bentonite performance depended more on processing and production (compaction) than on the bentonite type (e.g.swelling pressure and thermal conductivity). In contrast, in some of the other key issues, the type of bentonite was found to influence possible specifications: the bentonite should not alter its mineral composition or its geotechnical parameters such as the swellability. Therefore, the bentonite should contain neither soluble nor reactive phases (e.g.organic matter, pyrite, gypsum). The structural Fe content of the smectites should be small because of the lesser stability and greater reactivity of the Fe-rich bentonites. Also, a large layer-charge density of the swelling clay minerals leads to less corrosion at the iron–bentonite interface (relevant if iron canisters are used). The hydraulic conductivity and swelling pressure can be tailored by compaction of the bentonite resulting in different dry densities. From an engineering point of view, a bentonite with least dependence of the hydraulic conductivity/swelling pressure on the dry density would be best. Using a bentonite which has been investigated extensively over many years means less uncertainty compared to unknown materials.


Author(s):  
Jana Némethová ◽  
Melánia Feszterová,

The agriculture in Slovakia has undergone structural changes since its accession to the European Union (EU) in 2004, that have been linked to the adoption of the Common Agricultural Policy of the EU Member States. The article focuses on the Nitra region as a typical agricultural region of Slovakia and its development from the agricultural point of view from 2004. Compared to other Slovak regions the Nitra region has good soil climatic ratios, for the development of agriculture. The Nitra region has the largest share of agricultural land which is characterized by a high-level share of arable land from total agricultural land. The region has the highest values in gross agricultural production from the 2004-2016 reporting period. It has good results in plant and livestock production. The region has the highest employment in agriculture. Despite the decline in agricultural land, as well as a decline in total employment in agriculture, the region has the highest employment in agriculture in Slovakia. It is characterized by a well-developed business structure for intensive agricultural production.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 299-308
Author(s):  
Yongjoong Lee

The Target Station at the European Spallation Source (ESS) is designed to convert high power proton beam to high brightness neutron beams, for studying fundamental properties of materials. Upon commissioning of the ‘beam on target’ planned in 2022, the ESS linac will deliver lower energy proton beam than the design value of 2 GeV, for neutron production. The beam energy will then be gradually ramped up, with the sequential commissioning of the downstream part of the superconducting cryomodules. During neutron production, the beam intercepting devices and moderators are exposed to intense flux of primary and secondary particles, suffering from radiation induced structural degradation. The extent of the radiation damage depends on the energy and intensity of the impinging protons. Currently, the lifetime criteria determined for these components are based on the 2 GeV beam energy. To secure availability and reliability of the neutron production during the beam energy ramp-up phase, the radiation damage rates in these components should be reassessed and the lifetime criteria be adjusted. In this paper, we present the lifetime criteria for the beam intercepting devices and moderators for different beam energies, to serve for the planning of the maintenance and replacement schedule during the proton energy ramp-up phase.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-61
Author(s):  
Pelin Sönmez ◽  
Abulfaz Süleymanov

Türkiye, Cumhuriyet tarihinin en yoğun zorunlu göç dalgasını 2011 yılından bu yana süren Suriye Savaşı ile yaşamaktadır. Suriye vatandaşlarının geçici koruma statüsü altında Türkiye toplumuna her açıdan entegrasyonları günümüzün ve geleceğin politika öncelikleri arasında düşünülmelidir. Öte yandan ülkeye kabul edilen sığınmacıların kendi kültürel kimliğini kaybetmeden içinde yaşadığı ev sahibi topluma uyumu, ortak yaşam kültürünün gelişmesi açısından önem arz etmektedir. Bu makalede, "misafir" olarak kabul edilen Suriyeli vatandaşların Türk toplumunca kabul edilmeleri ve dışlanma risklerinin azaltılmasına yönelik devlet politikaları ortaya konularak, üye ve aday ülkelere göçmenlerin dışlanmasını önlemek için Avrupa Birliği (AB) tarafından sunulan hukuki yapı ve kamu hizmeti inisiyatifleri incelenmekte, birlikte yaşam kültürü çerçevesinde Suriyeli vatandaşlara yönelik  toplumsal kabul düzeyleri ele alınmaktadır. Çalışma iki ana bölümden oluşmaktadır: göçmen ve sığınmacılara karşı toplumsal dışlanmayı engellemek için benimsenen yasa ve uygulamaların etkisi ve İstanbul-Sultanbeyli bölgesinde Suriyeli sığınmacılarla ilgili toplumsal algı çalışmasının sonuçları. Bölgede ikamet eden Suriyelilere yönelik toplumsal kabul düzeyinin yüksek olduğu görülürken, halkın Suriyelileri kendilerine  kültürel ve dini olarak yakın hissetmesi toplumsal kabul düzeyini olumlu etkilemektedir. ABSTRACT IN ENGLISHAn evaluation of the European Union and Turkish policies regarding the culture of living togetherThis article aims to determine the level of social acceptance towards Syrians within the context of cohabitation culture by evaluating EU’s legal structure and public service initiatives in order to prevent Syrian refugees from being excluded in member and candidate countries and by revealing government policies on acceptance of Syrians as “guest” by Turkish society and minimizing the exclusion risks of them. This article consists of two main parts, one of which is based on the effects of law and practices preventing refugees and asylum seekers from social exclusion, and the other is on the results of social perception on Syrians in Sultanbeyli district of Istanbul. At the end of 5-years taking in Syrian War, it is obvious that most of more than 3 million Syrian with unregistered ones in Turkey are “here to stay”. From this point of view, the primary scope of policies should be specified in order to remove side effects of refugee phenomenon seen as weighty matter by bottoming out the exclusion towards those people. To avoid possible large-scale conflicts or civil wars in the future, the struggle with exclusion phenomenon plays a crucial role regarding Turkey’s sociological situation and developing policies. In the meaning of forming a model for Turkey, a subtitle in this article is about public services for European-wide legal acquis and practices carried out since 1970s in order to prevent any exclusion from the society. On the other hand, other subtitles are about legal infrastructure and practices like Common European Asylum and Immigration Policies presented in 2005, and Law on Foreigners and International Protection introduced in 2013. In the last part of the article, the results of a field survey carried out in a district of Istanbul were used to analyze the exclusion towards refugees in Turkey. A face-to-face survey was randomly conducted with 200 settled refugees in Sultanbeyli district of Istanbul, and their perceptions towards Syrian people under temporary protection were evaluated. According to the results, the level of acceptance for Syrians living in this district seems relatively high. The fact that Turkish people living in the same district feel close to Syrian refugees culturally and religiously affect their perception in a positive way: however, it is strikingly seen and understood that local residents cop an attitude on the refugees’ becoming Turkish citizens.


2020 ◽  

BACKGROUND: This paper deals with territorial distribution of the alcohol and drug addictions mortality at a level of the districts of the Slovak Republic. AIM: The aim of the paper is to explore the relations within the administrative territorial division of the Slovak Republic, that is, between the individual districts and hence, to reveal possibly hidden relation in alcohol and drug mortality. METHODS: The analysis is divided and executed into the two fragments – one belongs to the female sex, the other one belongs to the male sex. The standardised mortality rate is computed according to a sequence of the mathematical relations. The Euclidean distance is employed to compute the similarity within each pair of a whole data set. The cluster analysis examines is performed. The clusters are created by means of the mutual distances of the districts. The data is collected from the database of the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic for all the districts of the Slovak Republic. The covered time span begins in the year 1996 and ends in the year 2015. RESULTS: The most substantial point is that the Slovak Republic possesses the regional disparities in a field of mortality expressed by the standardised mortality rate computed particularly for the diagnoses assigned to the alcohol and drug addictions at a considerably high level. However, the female sex and the male sex have the different outcome. The Bratislava III District keeps absolutely the most extreme position. It forms an own cluster for the both sexes too. The Topoľčany District bears a similar extreme position from a point of view of the male sex. All the Bratislava districts keep their mutual notable dissimilarity. Contrariwise, evaluation of a development of the regional disparities among the districts looks like notably heterogeneously. CONCLUSIONS: There are considerable regional discrepancies throughout the districts of the Slovak Republic. Hence, it is necessary to create a common platform how to proceed with the solution of this issue.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-122
Author(s):  
Ewa Kaczan-Winiarska

The Austrian government is extremely sceptical about the accession negotiations which are conducted by the European Commission on behalf of the European Union with Turkey and calls for the negotiation process to end. Serious reservations of Vienna have been raised by the current political situation in Turkey under the rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as by the standards of democracy in Turkey, which differ greatly from European standards. Serious deficiencies in rule of law, freedom of speech and independence of the judiciary, confirmed in the latest European Commission report on Turkey, do not justify, from Vienna’s point of view, the continuation of talks with Ankara on EU membership. In fact, Austria’s scepticism about the European perspective for Turkey has a longer tradition. This was marked previously in 2005 when the accession negotiations began. Until now, Austria’s position has not had enough clout within the European arena. Pragmatic cooperation with Turkey as a strategic partner of the EU, both in the context of the migration crisis and security policy, proved to be a key factor. The question is whether Austria, which took over the EU presidency from 1.7.2018, will be able to more strongly accentuate its reservations about Turkey and even build an alliance of Member States strong enough to block Turkey’s accession process.


Author(s):  
Christopher McCarroll

This chapter sets out some key issues related to a philosophical analysis of point of view in memory. It does so by looking at examples of psychological, philosophical, and literary accounts of the phenomenon, as well as examples of the author’s own observer perspective memories. The chapter provides an overview of some of the empirical evidence related to visual perspective in memory. Despite these consistent empirical findings, however, a number of doubts and misconceptions about remembering from-the-outside still linger, especially concerning the status of observer perspectives in memory. This chapter outlines some of the skepticism to the possibility of remembering from-the-outside and points to a possible diagnosis of why such skepticism arises. This chapter points to a way of thinking about memory—to be developed through the course of the book—which eases the worries about remembering from-the-outside.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 163
Author(s):  
Celeste Perrucchini ◽  
Hiroshi Ito

Empirical evidence suggests an overall convergence in terms of GDP and per capita income occurring among the European Union (EU) Member States. Nevertheless, economic inequalities have been increasing at the regional level within European Union countries. Through the review of relevant literature, this study analyzes the increasing inequalities from an economical point of view, focusing on Italy and the UK as examples. First, a general overlook of the empirical evidence of the GDP and per capita income at national and sub-national levels will be presented. Second, an explanation of the possible causes of the results will be proposed through the use of economical and sociological theories. The findings of this research might uncover the relative inefficacy of EU Cohesion policies and point towards the necessity for deeper and more thoughtful measures to continue the convergence of Member States while preserving internal equilibria. This paper ends with discussions for the future directions of the EU.


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