Librarians Blog for Science and Engineering

The University Library has recently purchased the IEEE ebook collection, available via IEEE Xplore. There are more than 500 titles available to help keep you up-to-date with cutting-edge technologies and set standards for future advancements.

The collection of titles includes practical handbooks, introductory and advanced texts, reference works, and professional books with an emphasis on leading areas of research, such as:

•     Aerospace
•     Bioengineering
•     Communication, Networking & Broadcasting
•     Components, Circuits, Devices & Systems
•     Computing & Processing (Includes Hardware & Software)
•     Engineered Materials, Dielectrics & Plasmas
•     Fields, Waves & Electromagnetics
•     General Topics for Engineers (Math, Science & Engineering)
•     Geoscience
•     Photonics & Electro-Optics
•     Power, Energy & Industry Applications
•     Robotics & Control Systems
•     Signal Processing & Analysis

To access the database log-in to MUSE and select the Library tab. From the alphabetical table in subject databases click on IEEE/IET Electronic Library and connect using the quick link on the right. From there you can browse titles from the book/ebook search interface.

Web of Knowledge have recently brought out a new mobile version of their database so now you can search for articles on the go. The mobile interface contains many of the same features; so there’s all the advanced search options, you can set alerts, view your search history and send references to endnoteweb.

To get started all you need to do is go to http://m.webofknowledge.com/ from your phone and log in with your personal WoK username and password.

 If you haven’t created a WoK account before just follow the steps below;

1. From a normal PC log into MUSE and go to Web of Knowledge from the library tab.
2. Once in Web of Knowledge click on ‘sign in‘.
3. Then click ‘register‘ to create a new account (when registering it’s best to use your @sheffield email address).

You can now use your new password for the mobile interface as well as accessing all the database’s advanced features. All you need to remember is to log into your new account at least every 6 months from an IP authenticated computer to ensure your account stays active.

For more information or trouble-shooting see the WoK webpages below;

http://wokinfo.com/about/mobile/

http://wokinfo.com/media/pdf/wok-mobile-faqs.pdf

Following on from my post during National Science and Engineering Week on Alan Turing, I’d like to alert you to a talk, TONIGHT, at the Showroom bar from 7pm: ‘Alan Turing Centenary Year: The Wonder of Ideas’.

This is the April Cafe Scientifique and will explain his key ideas, why they have shaped the world over the last 60 years and why they might be telling us something about the universe. 

More information here.

IEEE Xplore is being upgraded on the 1st April, before I tell you about the new features, there are a couple of things you need to know:

1. All current saved searches and search history will be deleted. If you have any saved searches you would like to keep, then copy them into a document so you can recreate them after 1st April.

2. IEEE personal account user name change. If you have a personal account then you will be prompted to change your user name to your email address when you log in after 1st April.

The new features include:

• Browse titles by topic
• Sort results by most cited
• Refine search by content type
• Abstract pages streamlined with tabs for citations and references, and IEEE index terms listed
• New citation diagram and more cited-by information
• New interactive HTML full-text articles
• Simpler personal account registration
• Personal account sign-in link in top right-hand corner

Find out more here

Sign up for live webinar training here

Hi, so, we have bought quite a lot of new books for Aerospace Engineering recently and I thought I’d let you know about them…

Advanced design problems in aerospace engineering

Aircraft recognition guide

Airframe stress analysis and sizing

Design and analysis of composite structures, with applications to aerospace structures (print copies and ebook)

Design and development of aircraft systems

Introduction to avionics systems (ebook: new edition)

Metal fatigue analysis handbook (ebook)

Spacecraft systems engineering (ebook)

We have also bought some ebooks of popular titles:

Aircraft flight

Introduction to structural dynamics and aeroelasticity 

These four titles are still on order but are coming to a library near you soon:

Aeroelasticity

AIAA aerospace design engineerrs guide 

Encyclopedia of aerospace engineering  

Variational analysis and aerospace engineering mathematical challenges for aerospace design

Well, I hope you’ve all had a good week. Although this is the last post from me for NSEW 2012, don’t forget that there is still plenty going on this weekend.

I am going to leave you with some factual motion-based snippets to impress your friends with over the weekend!

Firstly, from ”The Noticeably Stouter Qi book of General Ignorance’ by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson, 2009, Faber and Faber limited, page 129-130:

Which way does the bathwater go down the plughole?

• For the Alan Davies’ amongst you: it isn’t decided by the Coriolis force…unless a symmetrical pan with a tiny plughole was left for about a week and the plug was then removed without disturbing the water. Then a small Coriolis effect may send the water anti-clockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the south. Otherwise…
• The direction is determined by the shape of the basin, the direction it was filled from, and the vortices introduced into it by washing or when the plug is removed.
• So, basically, it depends, there just isn’t a simple answer, of course!

Secondly, from ‘Does Anything Eat Wasps? and 101 other questions’, New Scientist, edited by Mick O’Hare, 2005, Profile Books, page 132-134:

What would be the effect on the Earth if an alien spaceship came along and dragged the moon away? (Steven Nairn)

• According to Andrew Turpin:
• As the moon is the main force over the tides, they would practically disappear.
• Wild swings in the earth’s rotational axis would give us drastic changes in climate.
• The nautilus wouldn’t know when to move compartments in its shell as the moon wouldn’t be there to finish a revolution around earth. Poor stranded nautilus.
• According to Simon Iveson:
• Without nightime light, the behaviour of nocturnal animals would be confused, and their activities much harder to carry out.

Lastly, from ‘Why Don’t Penguins Feet Freeze? and 114 other questions’, New Scientist, edited by Mick O’Hare, 2006, Profile Books, 2006, page 213-216, a mystery to me since childhood:

Why do boomerangs come back? (Adam Longley)

• According to Alan Chester from Sheffield no less:
• The top wing of a boomerang goes away from you faster than the bottom wing, so the sideways push on the top wing is strongest, which tilts the boomerang over.
• According to Chips MacKinolty:
• Boomerangs don’t come back (indeed a distraught 8 year old me on the Bromyard Downs would agree).
• They were designed by the Australian Aboriginal people for hunting and fighting. Not just for fun apparently.

So, I think that’s it, it’s bye from me for now, Happy National Science and Engineering Week to you all!

Remember there is also the Global Manufacturing Festival in Sheffield next Wednesday and Thursday.

Last night, Dr Tim Richardson gave a talk on things that rotate which I wish I could have gone to.

As I’m not an expert on the science of rotation, I’ve found some videos to keep you amused as the weekend approaches…

These fighting spinning tops are pretty impressive to watch (they start about 1 minute in).

As one of the comments says, Unbubblieveable!

Here’s one especially for you structural engineers: The Rotating Tower.

The Guinness World Record for the fastest spin on ice by Natalia Kanounnikova.

“Cool Science Demo” of the ice skating spin.

Why didn’t I have one of these?

Talking of rotation, don’t forget you’ve only got a few more days left to check out the National Fairground Archive (NFA) exhibition at St Georges Library this week. You can also visit the NFA, or check out their image database.

Tonight at University House, Ian Woodall will be telling the emotional story of climbing Mount Everest. He is one of few to have climbed it by both its South and North sides; if you can’t make it tonight, you can find out more here.

If you’d like to feel inspired from your sofa then check out these films…

Everest (1998)

The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest (2010)

Touching the Void (2004)

Blindsight (2006)

…and books:

‘Into thin air: a personal account of the Mount Everest disaster’ by Jon Krakauer. In stock at St Georges Library, 796.522092 (K) in The Lifelong Learning Collection.

‘Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest’ by Wade Davis. Available in Sheffield Central Library.

‘Touching the Void’ by Joe Simpson. Available to reserve from Sheffield Central Library.

Don’t forget the NSEW Special Pub Quiz TONIGHT at The Showroom Cinema, 7:30, arrive early as places are limited!

The mystery of motion is never more apparent to me than when watching some snooker…just how do they make those balls move to exactly where they want them??

I’ve found out a little bit about cue ball movement from snookertips.info…

• The cue ball’s movement is determined by its forward rotation (spin) on impact.
• With no spin on impact (a stun shot), it will deflect 90 degrees in the opposite direction to the object ball.
• Forward spin (follow) and backward spin (draw) on the cue ball affects the amount of deviation from 90 degrees. So, more follow means a sharper curve upwards, and more draw, a sharper curve downwards.
• It is also affected by the angle at which the cue ball hits the object ball; thicker contact means that the follow and draw have a bigger effect, both on position and speed.

This video shows an impressive curve of the cue ball when shooting with follow.

An impressive 28 second spin can be seen 1 minute and 3 seconds into this video.

And you just HAVE to check this out!

Feeling snooker loopy? Don’t forget the Snooker World Championship here in Sheffield at The Crucible Theatre,  21 April- 7 May.

Not heard of Alan Turing? It seems that many of us haven’t when we really should have. All you mathematicians out there may understand the work of Alan Turing without any help. For the rest of us, help is required! Derek Marriott gave this help in his talk at Sheffield Hallam on Friday, but what can you do if you missed it?

The Channel 4 documentary which enlightened more of us is unfortunately not available on 4oD but more information is here which shows why Stephen Hawking has rated Turing’s work as some of the most important in Human History. Hopefully the film will be available soon.

There are various books on Alan Turing in the Library including ‘The man who knew too much: Alan Turing and the invention of the computer’ by David Leavitt at the IC.