Monthly Archives: February 2014

Hino and DENSO Jointly Develop the World's First Electric Refrigerator System for Heavy-duty …

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Refrigerator System for Heavy-duty Trucks Using a Hybrid Unit

HINO & KARIYA (Japan) - Hino Motors, Ltd. (Hino) and DENSO Corporation (DENSO) have jointly developed the world's first electric refrigerator system for heavy-duty trucks using a hybrid unit. This system is used in the Hino Profia, which will be released on Feb. 1, in Japan.

With the combination of Hino's hybrid powertrain system technology and DENSO's electric refrigerator system technology, the two companies have developed a high-quality refrigerator system that helps improve fuel economy, improves refrigeration performance, and is quieter when operating.

Hybrid trucks conventionally use energy generated from hybrid systems to assist the vehicle's driving. However, this new truck uses energy from hybrid unit only for the new electric refrigeration system, which saves fuel.

Heavy-duty refrigerated trucks typically require an auxiliary engine or need to use their main engine power to operate the compressor of the refrigerator. The newly developed electric refrigerator system uses energy generated while driving or regenerated energy from the hybrid unit to operate the refrigerator's compressor. This substantially reduces the amount of fuel normally used to drive the engine to operate the compressor, thus reducing CO2 emissions as well.

Compared to refrigerated trucks that use an auxiliary engine to operate the compressor, the new system is quieter, and contributes to an approximately 150kg weight reduction because it does not need an auxiliary engine.

In addition, compared with those having the main engine-driven compressor system, the new truck can operate the refrigeration compressor at a constant rotational speed using the energy supplied from hybrid system, which stabilizes the refrigeration performance and quality regardless if the truck is moving or stopped.

Trucks with main engine-driven compressor systems need to have separate refrigerator components in the engine compartment, under the floor panel, and in other places. However, the new truck uses a new integrated refrigeration unit that includes an electric compressor, condenser, and other devices. This simplified structure uses fewer tubes and wires and also is easier to maintain.

The new refrigerator system includes a stand-by unit that can be connected to an external 200-volt power source so the refrigerator temperature can be maintained while the engine off for a long period of time. The stand-by unit also has a timer function, which can pre-freeze the refrigerator room without the driver's operation. This helps reduce fuel consumption and manpower costs.

The Hino Profia with an electric refrigerator system reduces the amount of fuel required to operate its refrigerator. The new truck's fuel efficiency exceeds Japan's 2015 fuel efficiency standards by 5 percent. Moreover, as standard features, the Hino Profia has advanced safety systems including an enhanced pre-crash safety system (PCS* 1) designed to support drivers to prevent rear-end collision with vehicle in motion ahead, a lane-departure warning system that issues an alarm at a more appropriate timing, and a driver monitoring system that provides more precise detection. Thus, the Hino Profia is a heavy-duty truck that achieves greater environmental and safety performance.

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Hino and DENSO Jointly Develop the World's First Electric Refrigerator System for Heavy-duty ...

Eco-villagers prepare for next stage of green energy research project

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10 hours ago

A consortium of researchers led by Heriot-Watt University has been awarded 2.8 million Euros (2.3 million) to develop a 'smart energy hub' which will attempt to synchronise the demand for energy within a neighbourhood to the availability of locally generated renewables.

ORIGIN Research Project

The ORIGIN research project, led by Dr Edward Owens of the Institute of Infrastructure and Environment in the School of the Built Environment, is being funded by the European Commission and will be piloted over three years in Findhorn and in eco-villages in Portugal and Italy.

Dr Owens will be working with researchers from the University of Strathclyde, as well as Universities in Germany, Spain and Portugal, to develop a community scale energy management system.

Dr Owens said, "Thousands of householders and businesses have installed renewable energy systems in the last few years. However, often the energy is not generated at times of peak demand, finding a way to match periods of supply with periods of demand will create much more efficient energy systems."

Dr Owens added, "The system will forecast renewable energy supply and energy demand, at both individual building and community levels. Groups of buildings in a community will then be connected via our smart energy hub and a series of energy controllers in each building.

"Residents will then be asked to plan when they use energy, such as using hot water or a washing machine, to maximise the uptake of community-generated renewable electricity. They will also be able to read 'recommendations' from the community hub to inform them when locally generated energy is available for them to use."

The Findhorn Community

Initially the system will be demonstrated at around 75 homes and public buildings at the Findhorn Community in Moray. They will benefit from the new system, as well as another 100 homes and public buildings across the two eco-villages in Portugal and Italy.

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Eco-villagers prepare for next stage of green energy research project

Tenean Beach needs major fixes, agency findings make clear

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Dorchesters Savin Hill and Malibu beaches have seen maintenance improvements, but Tenean Beach is still in need of major upgrades, according to the preliminary findings in a report on the 14 beaches along Boston Harbor that was shared at a meeting at UMass Boston on Saturday by the Commission of Metropolitan Beaches.

Paul Polito, 61, who lives on Parkman Street in Fields Corner, remembers swimming in the water at Savin Hill and Malibu Beach when he was a kid and the water quality was horrible.

Now a member of the Dorchester Yacht Club, Polito said that while the MBC has helped clean up the two beaches over the past five years, he still sees issues that need to be addressed, such as restricted water flow into Savin Hill Cove. Were having problems with the water quality. Thats what causes the beach closures, the bacteria, he said.

Eileen Boyle, a member of the Columbia Savin Hill Civic Association and a resident of Auckland Street, was also present at the regional meeting. She said she is very happy with what has happened under the MBCs watch. Im impressed with the work that has been done through community efforts, she said.

Still, she has concerns about the long-term goals of the MBC and how the planned improvements to Morrissey Boulevard, which frequently closes due to overflows at high tides, will affect the waterfront. She is also concerned with environmental issues surrounding the beaches, citing the yacht club as a source of pollution. I dont think they look at the beaches from our point of view. They just look at it for recreational use, she said, referring to members of the club who live outside of the Dorchester area.

Paul Nutting, the Savin Hill Shores commissioner for the MBC, said he has attended all of the meetings concerning the harbor beaches and still sees Tenean as an area in need of major care, primarily from opinions delivered by Port Norfolk, Clam Point, and Popes Hill residents. Brian Leahy was the primary advocate for that beach and since he died no one has stepped in his shoes to fill that role, said Nutting. Leahy was a member of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority and was active in the Dorchester community.

Nutting said the communitys interest in the Shaffer Paper site in Port Norfolk under the MBTA bridge that crosses the Neponset River is good, but has taken attention away from the problems surrounding Tenean Beach. The paper company site will become a park under plans being worked on by the Department of Conservation and Recreation, which owns the land.

Adams Street resident Elle Spring, a member of the Neponset Greenway Council, said she would like to see some attention shifted from the Shaffer Paper site to the upkeep of Tenean as well. Its a forgotten beach, she said, citing sand erosion, a flooded parking lot, and a lack of accessibility as reasons why the beach has been ignored by communities in Dorchester. Spring said she usually travels to the other beaches in Dorchester or to South Bostons Castle Island during the summer instead of staying at Tenean. It would be my neighborhood beach, but it cant be, she said.

The MBC is planning to release its full report on the harbor beaches this spring. The preliminary paper can be read at savetheharbor.org/MBC2013/.

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Tenean Beach needs major fixes, agency findings make clear

Astronomy Podcast Enters Sixth Year And Wed Love For You To Contribute!

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A part of the Small Magellanic Cloud galaxy is dazzling in this new view from NASAs Great Observatories. The Small Magellanic Cloud, or SMC, is a small galaxy about 200,000 light-years way that orbits our own Milky Way spiral galaxy. Credit: NASA.

If you love talking about space and as a reader of Universe Today, I really hope you do theres an awesome podcast for you to add to your playlist. 365 Days of Astronomy puts out an astronomy-themed episode every single day of the year, covering everything from recent discoveries, to folklore, to community events.

If youve got a microphone and a desire to contribute, or have at least some coffee money to contribute to charity, theyd really love to hear from you as they enter a sixth (sixth!) year of operation. More details are below the jump.

Full disclosure here: Universe Today is a big supporter of 365 Days of Astronomy, and Ive been contributing podcasts myself since last year. It is anawesomeexperience. Pamela Gay(who oversees the project through her astronomy education organization, Cosmoquest) is inspiring to work for as she is a tireless supporter of bringing the joy of space to the general public.

Nancy Atkinson (a fellow contributor and UT senior editor) joked to me today, Its kind of like the Mars rovers the Energizer Bunny of podcasts. And its through your support that we can keep going, and going, and going. Heres the official press release with information about contributions:

365 Days of Astronomy will continue its service in 2014! This time we will have more days available for new audio. Have something to share? Were looking for content from 10 minutes long up to an hour! Since 2009, 365 Days of Astronomy has brought a new podcast every day to astronomy lovers around the world to celebrate the International Year of Astronomy. Fortunately, the project has continued until now and we will keep going for another year in 2014. This means we will continue to serve you for a 6th year.

Through these years, 365 Days Of Astronomy has been delivering daily podcasts discussing various topics in the constantly changing realm of astronomy. These include history of astronomy, the latest news, observing tips and topics on how the fundamental knowledge in astronomy has changed our paradigms of the world. Weve also asked people to talk about the things that inspired them, and to even share their own stories, both of life doing astronomy and science fiction that got them imagining a more scientific future.

365 Days of Astronomy is a community podcast that relies on a network of dedicated podcasters across the globe who are willing to share their knowledge and experiences in astronomy with the world and it will continue that way. In 2013, 365 Days of Astronomy started a new initiative with CosmoQuest. We now offer great new audio every weekend, while on weekdays we serve up interesting podcasts from CosmoQuest and other dedicated partners. We also have several monthly podcasts from dedicated podcasters and have started two new series: Space Stories and Space Scoop. The former is a series of science fiction tales, and the latter is an astronomy news segment for children.

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Astronomy Podcast Enters Sixth Year And Wed Love For You To Contribute!

Family astronomy event is Saturday at PCC East

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Astronomy magazine editors will be at Pima Community Colleges East Campus Saturday for an all-day family event for amateur astronomers.

The Tucson Public Star Party runs from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the East Campus Observatory, 8181 E. Irvington Road.

It will feature daytime and nighttime viewing, as well as illustrated talks and displays on a variety of subjects.

The event is free and open to the public.

About 200 people attended the 2013 event, the first that the magazine had held at the East Campus, according to a news release from the college.

Members of the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association will operate solar telescopes throughout the day, providing safe, high-quality views of visible features on the sun. Nighttime observing will begin about an hour after sunset, which is 6:04 p.m.

The campus observatory will be open throughout the event, with its solar telescope tracking the sun during the day and its 14-inch telescope targeting deep-sky objects at night. The observatory also is home to the All Sky Camera, which offers a live 360-degree view of the sky.

Attendees will be able to view the moon, Jupiter, the Pleiades star cluster and the Orion nebula.

Speakers will include Amateur Astronomy Association President Keith Schlottmann; Scott Kardel of the International Dark Sky Association; Mike Reynolds, dean of liberal arts and sciences at Florida State College at Jacksonville and a contributing editor of Astronomy; and Astronomy Editor David J. Eicher.

For more information, go to http://tinyurl.com/pimaastronomy or call 206-7694.

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Family astronomy event is Saturday at PCC East

Indian man's astronomy projects get NASA's approval

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Srinagar: A Kashmiri man from a remote village of the Valley has won approval for two of his projects from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in the United States.

Asif Ali, who comes from a humble background from a village in Mattan area of south Kashmir district, Anantnag, is studying astronomy at Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Kerala, a defence spokesman said in Srinagar.

The two projects that Ali will work on include those on estimation of asteroids and the effect of gamma ray emissions.

"NASA is supporting his project works and accepting his research idea as a major leap forward in his career," the spokesman said.

Ali, who has done B.Tech from IIST and is currently doing MS in astronomy from the same college, will be headed to NASA soon to start work on his projects.

"I will be flying to NASA, US, soon to start my project work. After I return, I have some more projects in my mind that would cater to telecommunication problems faced by our state in particular and India in general," he said.

Ali is an alumnus of Army Goodwill School at Aishmuqam in Anantnag district and has done his higher studies at Government Higher Secondary School in his native area.

His father retired as an officer from the Animal Husbandry Department and his mother is a housewife.

"I have not been to elite schools of towns and cities. I dreamt of making big in life while studying at my native place in a remote area. However, to fulfil my aspirations, I went to a good college in Kerala under the guidance of brilliant mentors. I worked hard. My core interest was always astronomy," he said.

His achievement was recently acknowledged by the Army, which felicitated him in the presence of engineering students in Anantnag, the spokesman said.

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Indian man's astronomy projects get NASA's approval

School astronomy club visits observatory

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Canons High School astronomy club visits observatory

5:46pm Thursday 6th February 2014 in News By Bruce Thain

Members of a school astronomy club were treated to a visit to an observatory to learn more about the stars.

The 15 pupils from Canons High School, visited Bayfordbury Observatory in Hertfordshire thanks to a 300 Educational Visit grant from the Jack Petchey Foundation.

They were given a tour and a look at latest technology of the facilities seven large optical telescopes and four radio telescopes.

Pupil Babback Pormand, 12, said: The visit to Bayfordbury Observatory was very interesting and educational.

"Astronomy is really exciting because of the constant change and sense of exploration.

School librarian Adele Franklin, who accompanied the group on the visit, said: The group were really excited on the way to the observatory, and on the journey home, some of them were completely in awe about what they had seen. They are already making plans for future trips.

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School astronomy club visits observatory

Kashmiri youth's astronomy projects get NASA's approval

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Srinagar | Updated 2/6/2014 11:46:14 AM IST

A Kashmiri youth from a remote village of the Valley has won approval for two of his projects from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in the United States. Asif Ali, who comes from a humble background from a village in Mattan area of south Kashmir district, Anantnag, is studying astronomy at Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Kerala, a defence spokesman said here. The two projects that Ali will work on include those on estimation of asteroids and the effect of gamma ray emissions. "NASA is supporting his project works and accepting his research idea as a major leap forward in his career," the spokesman said. Ali, who has done BTech from IIST and is currently doing MS in astronomy from the same college, will be headed to NASA soon to start work on his projects. "I will be flying to NASA, US, soon to start my project work. After I return, I have some more projects in my mind that would cater to telecommunication problems faced by our state in particular and India in general," he said. Ali is an alumnus of Army Goodwill School at Aishmuqam in Anantnag district and has done his higher studies at Government Higher Secondary School in his native area. His father retired as an officer from the Animal Husbandry Department and his mother is a housewife. "I have not been to elite schools of towns and cities. I dreamt of making big in life while studying at my native place in a remote area. However, to fulfil my aspirations, I went to a good college in Kerala under the guidance of brilliant mentors. I worked hard. My core interest was always astronomy," he said. His achievement was recently acknowledged by the Army, which felicitated him in the presence of engineering students in Anantnag, the spokesman said.

PTI

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Kashmiri youth's astronomy projects get NASA's approval

Defending the First Amendment since 1911 | The independent student newspaper of Texas State University

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Donald Olson walked 10 steps down a beach in the French town of tretat before pausing to snap a photo of the setting sun.

He walked systematically from one end of the beach to the other, stopping every 10 steps to take another photo. Olson, physics and astronomy professor, was looking to uncover the exact moment of inspiration for the Claude Monet painting tretat Sunset through studying a combination of celestial body movements and distinctive landforms depicted in the painting.

Monet began the painting Feb. 5, 1883 at 4:53 p.m., according to Olsons research findings.

It is no easy task to date a painting back to the exact minute the artist began working on it, but bringing humanities and sciences together in the process is important, Olson said.

Olson first began experimenting with art when fellow professors asked him to help them discover the astronomy behind the skies depicted in The Canterbury Tales and the natural elements impacting a military battle from World War II, he said. Olson and the professors researched the moon and tide patterns during each of the time periods and wrote computer programs to help with their findings.

My next thought was, if you can study the skies of the 14th century and the skies of World War II, then we can try to figure out what Van Gogh was looking at, Olson said.

This thought led Olson to research the moment of inspiration for dozens of paintings all over the world. Impressionist paintings often depict outdoor settings, making it possible to determine when and where the works were created because of distinctive foregrounds.

Olson said Monet painted dozens of scenes of tretat depicting sunsets and twilights, but chose to study tretat Sunset because the painting is the only one that shows a setting sun rather than just a glow in the sky. Distinctive rock formations also helped place the painting.

Olson said he calls himself and his team celestial sleuths because they are doing detective work and putting pieces of a puzzle together.

(Olson is) extremely good at problem solving, said Philip Smith, physics lecturer and Olsons former student. Hes probably one of the sharpest people Ive ever met.

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Defending the First Amendment since 1911 | The independent student newspaper of Texas State University

Kashmir Youth's Astronomy Projects Gets NASA's Approval

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A Kashmiri youth from a remote village of the Valley has won approval for two of his projects from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in the United States.

Asif Ali, who comes from a humble background from a village in Mattan area of south Kashmir district, Anantnag, is studying astronomy at Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Kerala, a defence spokesman said here.

The two projects that Ali will work on include those on estimation of asteroids and the effect of gamma ray emissions.

"NASA is supporting his project works and accepting his research idea as a major leap forward in his career," the spokesman said.

Ali, who has done BTech from IIST and is currently doing MS in astronomy from the same college, will be headed to NASA soon to start work on his projects.

"I will be flying to NASA, US, soon to start my project work. After I return, I have some more projects in my mind that would cater to telecommunication problems faced by our state in particular and India in general," he said.

Ali is an alumnus of Army Goodwill School at Aishmuqam in Anantnag district and has done his higher studies at Government Higher Secondary School in his native area.

His father retired as an officer from the Animal Husbandry Department and his mother is a housewife.

"I have not been to elite schools of towns and cities. I dreamt of making big in life while studying at my native place in a remote area. However, to fulfil my aspirations, I went to a good college in Kerala under the guidance of brilliant mentors. I worked hard. My core interest was always astronomy," he said.

His achievement was recently acknowledged by the Army, which felicitated him in the presence of engineering students in Anantnag, the spokesman said.

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Kashmir Youth's Astronomy Projects Gets NASA's Approval

New Additions at Pacific Aerospace

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PART (Pacific Aerospace Resources and Technologies), an ARC Aerospace Industries Company, began hiring A & P mechanics, structure specialists, and avionics personnel in January and into the month of February.As their hangar space fills up, PART is eager to expand their work force into multiple shifts.

PART is in the process of a complete composite and accessory shop overhaul. They are adding filtered air, positive pressure, temperature and humidity control, and drop-down vacuum lines.

Furthermore, their NDT capabilities have expanded into those of a Level 3 facility to include liquid penetrant, dye-penetrant, eddy current, and ultrasound testing.

PART, a Boeing Gold Care Provider located in Victorville, California, was acquired by ARC Aerospace Industries, LLC in 2013. PART provides Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul services for Airbus, Boeing, Embraer, and other leading manufacturers. Their hangar space exceeds 300,000 square feet and services include heavy maintenance, structural and avionics modifications, engine and landing gear removal/installations, cabin interior reconfigurations, winglet installations, aircraft parking, storage and reactivation, as well as AOG field team support. Additional in-house capabilities include our composite repair shop, accessory shop and Level 3 NDT services.

For more information visitwww.partmro.com.

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New Additions at Pacific Aerospace