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November 2006 |
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Contents Introducing TechXtra © Cranfield University 2006
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Introducing TechXtra This article was kindly written by Roddy MacLeod, Senior Subject Librarian at Heriot Watt University.
Anyone who regularly searches for engineering information will know that the best results are usually obtained from either very large databases or databases which are particularly focussed on the topic under investigation. They also know that searching for engineering information can be quite frustrating, because there are so many possible sources which might contain relevant information. TechXtra attempts to alleviate both of these issues, firstly by having a ‘Long Tail’ (you can search more than 4 million records in total, most of which relate to technology subjects) and secondly by cross-searching numerous disparate databases. There are now twenty-nine databases included in TechXtra’s cross-search, making it easier to find a variety of types of resources, such as articles, technical reports, theses, books, eprints, news, job announcements, video and more, in technology subjects. You can access the full text of the majority of the items found through TechXtra free of charge, including those found in the following selection of cross-searchable databases:
In the near future, we hope to add visual indicators to all TechXtra databases so you can easily identify which are likely to provide the full text. As well as expanding its coverage, some cosmetic changes have recently been made to the TechXtra search. For example, you no longer need to select a particular type of resource before searching – the default is now to search ‘All’ types. A host of new sources have been added to TechXtra’s OneStep Industry News service and the OneStep Jobs service. Only the very latest job announcements are listed (at the present time, some 7,000 vacancies), making OneStep Jobs an excellent source for job hunters in engineering, maths and computing. One of the most heavily used parts of TechXtra is the Magazine Subscription section which facilitates access to free trade magazines, white papers and surveys. The most popular subscriptions include Diesel Progress, Oracle Magazine, Power and Lightwave. However ,eligibility for particular publications may be limited by geographic area. Focus on the Airship Heritage Trust The Airship Heritage Trust can trace its origins back to the formation of the Friends of Cardington Airship Station (FOCAS) in 1985. At that time, membership included relatives of those who had worked on the construction of airships at Cardington prior to the closure of the Royal Airship Works in 1936, as well as relatives of crew members, and other dedicated enthusiasts. Incorporated as a limited company in 1986 with Sir Peter Masefield as President, and renamed the Airship Heritage Trust in 1995, this charitable organisation now has more than 300 members worldwide and is recognised as the foremost body dealing with the history of lighter-than-air flight in this country. Although many of the original FOCAS members are still with us, the Trust’s membership now reflects the fact that a new generation of enthusiasts is growing up with an undiminished fascination for airships. One of the principal aims of the Trust is to safeguard the collection of archives and artefacts originally salvaged by Leslie Speed when the Royal Airship Works closed. This collection has subsequently been expanded by the acquisition of photographs, a large number of models and some full-size airship gondolas. The Trust has been determined to establish a national airship museum at a suitable location but changes in ownership and use of the airship sheds at Cardington has meant that the Trust has had to look elsewhere for a home. An alternative venue at the nearby Shuttleworth Collection was explored but proved unsuitable. The Trust is now in active discussions with the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton for some of the Trust’s collections to be incorporated into their displays – reflecting the historic links between British airships and the Royal Navy. Throughout this period, the AHT has been supported by the Rope Trust, a charitable organisation linked to the family of Sqn Ldr Michael Rope, a highly talented airship engineer who died on the R101. From the very start, the Airship Heritage Trust has aimed to be a focus for airship knowledge and information. 'Dirigible', the Trust’s journal, is published three times a year and is an internationally-recognised source of information, distributed to museums and other organisations throughout the world as well as members of the Trust. It covers a wide range of airship topics - from the early days of lighter-than-air travel to more recent decades - and each issue is packed with articles appealing to all with an interest in airships. The AHT Web site is also full of news, information and historic airship images. The Trust often receives requests for assistance from authors and scholars undertaking research and recently provided a number of artefacts for display at the Post and Telegraph Museum in Copenhagen. A recent visit by AHT members to France to mark the 75th Anniversary of the loss of the airship R101 proved a great success and the Trust intends to organise more visits to places of lighter-than-air interest in the future. For more information about the Airship Heritage Trust, please
contact: Rough guide to resources about Afghanistan There are a plethora of sources of information about the situation in Afghanistan but we thought that readers may be interested in a few which look at the policy and role of the British Forces in the country. The UK contingent is part of the wider NATO effort and therefore we have included both the UK and NATO perspectives. Introduction to the background of the current situation Afghanistan exhibition 2006 (National Army Museum) Special Report: Afghanistan's future (BBC Online) Special Report: Afghanistan (Guardian Unlimited) UK perspective Operations in Afghanistan (Ministry of Defence) UK Operations in Afghanistan (UK Permanent Joint Forces HQ) NATO perspective NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ISAF IX May 2006 - February 2007) NATO ARRC: Useful Afghanistan Web sites Briefing: Helping secure Afghanistan's future NATO International Security Assistance Force Finding theses and dissertations Theses and dissertations, particularly those produced at the doctoral level, can be an important information source for researchers in aerospace and defence, as the relationship between academia and industry means that their content is often highly relevant to practitioners in the sector. In many ways, theses and dissertations may be regarded as quite similar to reports literature. Their format is similar and it can, sometimes, be difficult to identify and obtain them, which has been particularly true with hardcopy (paper) documents. Fortunately, increasing numbers of higher education institutions around the world are requiring students to submit electronic versions of their theses and dissertations (ETDs) - making it easier to discover and locate them. How to obtain both hardcopy and electronic theses There are many ways to discover and obtain theses and dissertations. Here are just a few:
E-theses developments In the future, it should become easier and easier to locate and obtain theses. As an example, the recently completed Electronic Theses Online Service (EThOS) project has developed a prototype service which, if it moves into production, will provide a one-stop shop for UK doctoral theses offering:
There are also a number of European e-theses initiatives under development. We'll keep you posted! Recent AERADE news features You may have noticed the news feature at the bottom of the AERADE home page. We aim keep it continually updated with links to major news stories and to significant reports that have recently been published in the fields of aerospace and defence. In case you missed them, we are repeating some of the main news we have featured in the past quarter. Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports: Review of existing public interest conditions The CAA has issued a consultation paper on the existing conditions it has imposed on Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports in response to previous findings by the Competition Commission that the airports have acted against the public interest. The consultation is on whether the conditions should remain, be amended or can be removed. Responses to the consultation should be sent to the address in the document by Tuesday 2 January 2007. Public experiences of and attitudes to air travel A report has been published by the Department for Transport, summarising people's experiences of and attitudes towards air travel. It is primarily based on a module of questions included in the Office for National Statistics' Omnibus Survey in May 2006 (Box 1). Ownership and control liberalisation The CAA has published a discussion paper examining the rules governing ownership and control of airlines. In particular, it examines the impact of these on airlines, consumers and employees and considers the situation were they to be removed, especially how safety regulation might be affected. It concludes that there are likely to be substantial benefits from ownership and control liberalisation and sets out a pathway for reform, which if followed, should lead to safer, more efficient and cheaper international aviation. Helios Airways, Flight HCY522 - Final Report The Final Report of the Air Accident Investigation and Aviation Safety Board (AAIASB) into the accident of the a/c 5B-DBY of Helios Airways, Flight HCY522 on August 14, 2005, has been released. BBC survey on unsung landmarks The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) is running an 'Unsung Landmarks' competition (on a most votes basis). Among the candidates are the Cardington Airship Hangars - built to house Britain's R101 and groundbreaking R100 airships. UK Operations in Iraq : Thirteenth Report of Session 2005-06 The House of Commons Defence Committee published UK Operations in Iraq on August 10. It outlines the challenges facing UK troops in Iraq and concludes that they are poorly equipped and overstretched. |
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