Demonstrability, Difficulty and Persuasion: An Experimental Study of Advice Taking

Self-interested paid advisors should try to sell their solutions no matter how they came about. However, we present evidence that advisor persuasiveness depends on two dimensions of their prior problem solving: solution difficulty and demonstrability. We report a laboratory experiment with repeated advisor-client interactions where both these dimensions are independently varied. Persuasion rises in solution demonstrability and falls in difficulty. The reason is non-optimising behaviour: Advisors lacking in confidence fail to conceal difficult problem solving and those receiving their advice baulk when the proposed solution lacks objective success criteria irrespective of its promise. Our findings suggest differential prospects for persuasion and selling of different kinds of products, services and ideas

Mapping, Color

Color is used in both thematic and reference maps for representing information and highlighting important features. Using color effectively in maps requires understanding how the people see and understand color, the medium in which the map is published (electronic vs. paper), and characteristics of the data being represented in the map. Colors can be thought of as being comprised of three dimensions (color hue, color lightness, and color saturation) and are typically described using specialized mathematical systems called color specification systems, which allow precise communication about color characteristics. Effective color schemes match data characteristics to color dimensions in logical ways and choose colors with knowledge of their potential meanings to map readers

Effect of nanocomposite coating and biomolecule functionalization on silk fibroin based conducting 3D braided scaffolds for peripheral nerve tissue engineering

In this work, the effects of carbon nanofiber (CNF) dispersed poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) nanocomposite coatings and biomolecules functionalization on silk fibroin based conducting braided nerve conduits were studied for enhancing Neuro 2a cellular activities. A unique combination of biomolecules (UCM) and varying concentrations of CNF (5, 7.5, 10% w/w) were dispersed in 10% (w/v) PCL solution for coating on degummed silk threads. The coated silk threads were braided to develop the scaffold structure. As the concentration of CNF increased in the coating, the electrical impedance decreased up to 400 Ω indicating better conductivity. The tensile and dynamic mechanical property analysis showed better mechanical properties in CNF coated samples. In vitro cytocompatibility analysis proved the non-toxicity of the developed braided conduits. Cell attachment, growth and proliferation were significantly enhanced on the biomolecule functionalized nanocomposite coated silk braided structure, exhibiting their potential for peripheral nerve regeneration and recovery

Predicting Shear Strength of Unsaturated Soils over Wide Suction Range

Unsaturated soils over a wide suction range are widespread in nature. The shear strength of unsaturated soils is a fundamental property in various geotechnical designs. In this paper, a systematic study was conducted to investigate the effect of soil type on the shear strength of unsaturated soils. Shear strength for different types of soil over a wide suction range can be roughly classified into three types. Numerous existing shear-strength equations of unsaturated soils were used to predict the shear strength of different types of soil over a wide suction range, and the advantages and limitations of those equations were discussed. In addition, new equations for the shear strength of unsaturated soils were proposed based on the relationship between the average skeleton stress and the suction over a wide suction range. The results showed good agreement between the predicted and measured shear strengths results over a wide suction range for sand and silty soils

Anisotropic design and optimization of conformal gradient lattice structures

In this work, we present a novel anisotropic lattice structure design and multi-scale optimization method that can generate conformal gradient lattice structures (CGLS). The goal of optimization is to achieve gradient density, adaptive orientation and variable scale (or periodic) lattice structures with the highest mechanical stiffness. The asymptotic homogenization method is employed for the calculation of the mechanical properties of various lattice structures. And an equation of elastic tensor and relative density of the unit cell is established. The established function above is then considered in the numerical optimization schemes. In the post-processing, we propose a numerical projecting method based on Fourier transform, which can synthesize conformal gradient lattice structure without changing the size and shape of the unit cells. Besides, the algorithm allows us to minimize distortion and prevent defects in the final lattice and keep the lattice structures smooth and continuous. Finally, in comparison with different parameters and methods are performed to demonstrate the superiority of our proposed method. The results show that the optimized anisotropic conformal gradient lattice structures are much stiffer and exhibit better structural robustness and buckling resistance than the uniform and the directly mapped designs

A multicointegration model of global climate change

We model the role of the ocean in climate change, using the concept of multicointegration. Surface temperature and radiative forcing cointegrate and the accumulated cointegration disequilibria represent the change in Earth system heat content, which is predominantly stored in the ocean. System heat content in turn cointegrates with surface temperature. Using a multicointegrating I(2)model, we find that the climate sensitivity is 2.8 °C and the rate of adjustment to equilibrium is realistically slow. These results contrast strongly with those from I(1)cointegration models and are more consistent with global circulation models. We also estimate Earth system heat content as a latent variable for the full period, 1850-2014, and this predicted heat content cointegrates with available ocean heat content observations for 1940-2014

The Future of the Fringe: the crisis in peri-urban planning

Peri-urban landscapes are some of the world's most vulnerable areas. Although they are often thought of simply as land awaiting development, these landscapes retain important natural resources and make valuable contributions to agriculture, water use, biodiversity conservation, landscape preservation and human well-being. Billions of people use them and enjoy their natural values. Their continuing loss threatens to alter our relationships with nature and have a negative impact on the environment. The Future of the Fringe first explores the history of peri-urban areas, international peri-urban policy and practice, and related concepts. It analyses internationally relevant issues such as green belts and urban growth boundaries, regional policy, land supply and price, and the concepts of liveability, attractiveness, well-being and rural amenity. It then examines a range of Australian peri-urban issues, as an extended case study. The book argues for a precautionary approach so that we retain the greatest number of options to adapt during rapid and unprecedented change

A consumer definition of eco-friendly packaging

Consumers are increasingly concerned about the environmental consequences of packaging. Businesses are under pressure not only from consumers but also from governments to use eco-friendly packaging for their products. However, what consumers perceive to be eco-friendly packaging is still unclear, especially in emerging markets. This study examines consumer perceptions of eco-friendly packaging in the context of packaged food products of Vietnam. The study involved a series of six focus group discussions conducted with a diverse range of consumers. The focus of the discussion was consumer perceptions of eco-friendly packaging, particularly whether or not consumers would adjust their purchase behaviours to be more environmentally friendly. The data analysis procedure was undertaken using inductive manual coding principles associated with interpretivist research. The results indicate that consumer perceptions of eco-friendly packaging can be categorised along three key dimensions: packaging materials, manufacturing technology and market appeal. While consumers have diverse perceptions of eco-friendly packaging, their knowledge is limited and more related to packaging materials (such as biodegradability and recyclability), and market appeal (such as attractive graphic design and good price). Consumers show little knowledge about manufacturing technologies but still desire an eco-friendly manufacturing process. Results also suggest that a consumer-defined eco-friendly package for food products should be visually appealing while satisfying consumers environmental expectations relating to packaging materials and manufacturing process. We therefore propose a consumer-initiated development of eco-friendly packaging that can be applied for sustainable packaging strategies

A spatial decomposition based math-heuristic approach to the asset protection problem

This paper addresses the highly critical task of planning asset protection activities during uncontrollable wildfires known in the literature as the Asset Protection Problem (APP). In the APP each asset requires a protective service to be performed by a set of emergency response vehicles within a specific time period defined by the spread of fire. We propose a new spatial decomposition based math-heuristic approach for the solution of large-scale APPs. The heuristic exploits the property that time windows are geographically correlated as fire spreads across a landscape. Thus an appropriate division of the landscape allows the problem to be decomposed into smaller more tractable sub-problems. The main challenge then is to minimise the difference between the final locations of vehicles from one division to the optimal starting locations of the next division. The performance of the proposed approach is tested on a set of benchmark instances from the literature and compared to the most recent Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search (ALNS) algorithm developed for the APP. The results show that our proposed solution approach outperforms the ALNS algorithm on all instances with comparable computation time. We also see a trend with the margin of out-performance becoming more significant as the problems become larger

Crystallisation and glass transition behaviour of Chilean raisins in relation to their sugar compositions

The effects of sugar component ratio, water fraction, and storage conditions on crystallisation and glass transition temperature (Tg) of three Chilean dried raisins were examined by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarised light microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Thompson, Flame and Golden raisins differed in fructose:glucose and glucose:water ratios, impacting on their measured Tgs (P < 0.05) and propensity of sugaring. The ratios of fructose:glucose (1:3, 1:2 and 1:1) and glucose:water (1.7, 1.9 and 2.1) also influenced the measured Tgs (P < 0.05) and sugaring of fructose-glucose-water model solutions. Measurement of Tgs in the raisins as a function of water activity (aw 0.110.74) showed that water acts as a strong plasticiser decreasing the Tgs (−16.4 to −61.6 °C). XRD results revealed that sugaring in Thompson raisins was delayed at low temperatures (5 & 15 °C) compared to that stored at 25 °C. The refrigeration may be a simple approach to delay the sugaring in raisins