Digital measurement of lightning impulse parameters using curving fitting algorithms

This paper describes the application of curve fitting algorithms to aid the evaluation of lightning impulse parameters. A number of popular curve fitting algorithms have been evaluated and compared. Investigations using the genetic algorithm and other optimisation methods for the purpose of curve fitting have also been carried out and will be described

Fecal Sludge Management: a comparative assessment of 12 cities

This paper outlines the findings of a fecal sludge management (FSM) initial scoping study in twelve cities. This short, desk-based study used innovative tools to assess the institutional context and the outcome in terms of the amount of fecal sludge safely managed. A range of cities was included in the review, all in low- and middle-income countries. None of the cities studied managed fecal sludge effectively, although performance varied. Where cities are seeking to address fecal sludge challenges the solutions are, at best, only partial, with a focus on sewerage which serves a small minority in most cases. FSM requires strong city-level oversight and an enabling environment that drives coordinated actions along the sanitation service chain; this was largely absent in the cities studied. Based on the findings of the review a typology of cities was developed to aid the identification of key interventions to improve FSM service delivery. Additional work is recommended to further improve the tools used in this study in order to enable better understanding of the FSM challenges and identify appropriate operational solutions

Fecal Sludge Management: analytical tools for assessing FSM in cities

This paper describes the results of a research study which aimed in part to develop a method for rapidly assessing fecal sludge management (FSM) in low- and middle-income cities. The method uses innovative tools to assess both the institutional context and the outcome in terms of the amount of fecal sludge safely managed. To assess FSM outcomes, a fecal sludge matrix and accompanying flow diagram was developed to illustrate the different pathways fecal sludge takes from containment in water closets, pits and tanks, through to treatment and reuse/disposal. This was supplemented by an FSM service delivery assessment (SDA) tool which measures the quality of the enabling environment, the level of service development and the level of commitment to service sustainability. The tools were developed through an iterative process of literature review, consultation and case studies. This paper considers previous work done on FSM, suggest reasons why it is often neglected in favour of sewerage, and highlights the importance of supporting the increasing focus on solving the FSM challenge. The tools are presented here as useful initial scoping instruments for use in advocacy around the need for a change in policy, funding or indeed a city’s overall approach to urban sanitation

Revealing power dynamics and staging conflicts in agricultural system transitions : Case studies of innovation platforms in New Zealand

Innovation platforms (IPs) that support agricultural innovation to enable transition processes towards more sustainable agriculture provide a space where conflicts of interest among actors in the existing agricultural system (the so called incumbent regime) may play out. Sometimes these conflicts over how actors will benefit from an action are not revealed until actors are brought together. However, a barrier to change occurs when IP actors use their existing power to mobilise resources to influence if and how individual and collective interests are aligned. In the context of agricultural innovation and transitions, this paper uses the power in transitions framework (Avelino and Wittmayer, 2016), along with analytical perspectives on conflicts and role perceptions, to understand how consciously staging or revealing conflicts of interest among IP actors changed role perceptions and power relations among these actors. The paper explores this topic in two IPs addressing agricultural production and sustainability challenges in New Zealand's agricultural sector. Conflicts were staged in IPs when one group of actors mobilised resources that enabled them to move existing power relations from one-sided, to synergistic or a mutual dependency. This enabled conflicts to be acknowledged and solved. In contrast, conflicts were not staged when actors mobilised resources to maintain antagonostic power relations. Our cases demontrate that staging conflicts to change actors' role perceptions is an important intermediary step to forming new power relations in the agricultural system. Our findings highlight the need for IP theory to conceptualise power relations in IPs as context specific, dynamic and a force shaping outcomes, rather than solely a force exerted by actors in the incumbent regime over IP actors.</p

FieldML: concepts and implementation

The field modelling language FieldML is being developed as a standard for modelling and interchanging field descriptions in software, suitable for a wide range of computation techniques. It comprises a rich set of operators for defining generalized fields as functions of other fields, starting with basic domain fields including sets of discrete objects and coordinate systems. It is extensible by adding new operators and by their arbitrary combination in expressions, making it well suited for describing the inherent complexity of biological materials and organ systems. This paper describes the concepts behind FieldML, including a simple example of a spatially varying finite-element field. It outlines current implementations in established, open source computation and visualization software, both drawing on decades of bioengineering modelling software development experience

Improving the mental health and mental health support available to adolescents in out-of-home care via Adolescent-Focused Low-Intensity Life Story Work: a realist review

Objectives: Life Story Work (LSW) is used to promote the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents living in out-of-home care. LSW should be offered to all but is conventionally delivered in high-intensity ways. Low-intensity approaches are more accessible but there is significant variation and little guidance for supporting adolescents. We aimed to create guidance for Adolescent-Focused Low-Intensity LSW. // Design: Realist review. // Data sources: MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Sociology Collection (ProQuest), CINAHL, CDAS, Web of Science (SCIE, SSCI), Social Care Online and grey literature sources. Searches were performed between December 2021 and March 2022. // Eligibility criteria: Documents on children and adolescents in care, LSW and/or low-intensity interventions to improve mental health were included. Documents focusing on parenting style and contact with birth family were excluded. // Analysis: Documents were analysed using a realist logic of analysis. In consultation with Content Expert Groups (comprising professionals and care leavers), we developed an initial programme theory. Data relating to and challenging the initial programme theory were extracted and context-mechanism-outcome-configurations developed, critiqued and refined in an iterative fashion. Interpretations were drawn from context-mechanism-outcome-configurations to enhance the programme theory. // Results: 75 documents contributed to the analysis. Generally, studies were small-scale and lacked in-depth methods and evaluation descriptions. Findings indicated important factors contribute to the development of high-quality Adolescent-Focused Low-Intensity LSW. Adolescent-Focused Low-Intensity LSW should be person-centred, begin in the now, involve co-construction, record everyday positive life events and be supported by trained carer(s). Context-mechanism-outcome-configurations relating to these themes are reported. // Conclusions: Using this knowledge we developed initial practice guidance to support social care to deliver better quality Adolescent-Focused Low-Intensity LSW more consistently. To address gaps in our knowledge about the impact of Adolescent-Focused Low-Intensity LSW, further primary research is needed to strengthen understandings of how this intervention works (or not) in different contexts. // PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021279816

Diagnostics for assessing city-wide sanitation services

Abstract This paper presents results of research that has developed a set of diagnostic and decision-support tools for assessing sanitation services city-wide. It highlights features of the tools and illustrates key results from their validation through application in five cities worldwide. Collective use of these tools reveals and explains the complexities of the enabling environment and political economy within which sanitation services are delivered. Results present not only the status quo of services but also reasons for them being so. The tools have proven effective in guiding the collection, analysis and discussion of evidence, as a precursor to detailed feasibility studies, necessary to ultimately plan appropriate city-wide sanitation interventions.</jats:p