The quantification of wind turbulence by means of the fourier dimension

Signal Processing within the frequency domain has long been associated with electrical engineering as a means to quantify the characteristics of voltage/current waveforms. Historically, wind speed data (speed/direction) have been captured and stored as statistical markers within a time series description. This form of storage, while cumbersome, is applicable in wind regimes that are relatively laminar. In urban environments, where the associated topographies and building morphologies are heterogeneous, wind speeds are highly turbulent and chaotic. In such environments and with particular reference to wind energy, time series statistics are of limited use, unless the generic probability distribution function (PDF) is also considered. Furthermore, the industry standard metric that quantifies the turbulent component of wind speed, Turbulence Intensity (TI), is computationally cumbersome and resource intensive. An alternative model to quantify turbulence is proposed here. This paper will describe how Fourier dimension modelling (Df), through linkage with the Weibull probability density function, can quantify turbulence in a more efficient manner. This model could potentially be developed to facilitate urban wind power prediction and is relevant to the planning and development considerations within the built environment

Discursive constructions of language and identity: parents' competing perspectives in London Turkish complementary schools

In this paper, I draw on interview data to explore parents' constructions of language and identity in two London Turkish complementary schools. I examine parents' evaluative talk about standard Turkish, Cypriot-Turkish and other regional varieties of Turkish, the cultural values they attach to them and images of personhood these invoke. I demonstrate how parents brought up in Turkey and Cyprus tend to privilege standard Turkish and acknowledge the crucial role Turkish complementary schools play as one of the key vehicles for its spread and promotion. Some parents, however, especially those politically active in promoting Cypriot-Turkish language, culture and history to the British-born generation, voice an alternative discourse where Cypriot-Turkish is intimately linked to their sense of self. Moreover, I investigate parents' perspectives of their children and of their own Turkish language competence in the case of parents brought up in the UK. I illustrate how their Turkish and their children's are compared against a ‘native’ speaker norm firmly located in the countries of origin. The parents' accounts show how different self- and other-ascriptions of proficiency in Turkish are linked to claims of or lack of ‘Turkishness’, largely shaped by their migration histories and narratives, personal and professional transnational experiences

Marxism Lost and Found: Alasdair MacIntyre and the Contemporary Debate

This paper examines the changing nature of debates that focus on the philosophy of Alasdair MacIntyre. Whilst outlining the history of MacIntyre’s engagement with Marxism and some of his key ideas, it argues that it is only recently that such debates have begun to rightfully recognise the continued relevance of Marxism to such discussions. I note that crucial aspects of MacIntyre’s politics and philosophy, particularly his opposition to capitalism, are now integral to the contemporary debate which helps in generating a shared vision of radical politics. Nevertheless, I point out that key disagreements still remain as to the role of Marxism within such debates, the validity of MacIntyre’s critique of Marxism, as well as the potentially problematic post-Marxist practice that MacIntyre advocates in After Virtue and beyond

Overcoming the barriers to implementing urban road user charging schemes

Urban road user charging offers the potential to achieve significant improvements in urban transport, but is notoriously difficult to implement. Cities need guidance on the range of factors to be considered in planning and implementing such schemes. This paper summarises the results of a 3 year programme which has collated evidence on the issues of most concern to cities. A state of the art report has provided evidence on 14 themes, ranging from objectives and design to implementation and evaluation. A set of 16 case studies has reviewed experience in design and implementation across Europe. The paper summarises their findings, provides references to more detailed information, presents the resulting policy recommendations to European, national and local government, and outlines the areas in which further research is needed

Structure calculation, refinement and validation using CcpNmr Analysis

CcpNmr Analysis provides a streamlined pipeline for both NMR chemical shift assignment and structure determination of biological macromolecules. In addition, it encompasses tools to analyse the many additional experiments that make NMR such a pivotal technique for research into complex biological questions. This report describes how CcpNmr Analysis can seamlessly link together all of the tasks in the NMR structure-determination process. It details each of the stages from generating NMR restraints [distance, dihedral,hydrogen bonds and residual dipolar couplings (RDCs)],exporting these to and subsequently re-importing them from structure-calculation software (such as the programs CYANA or ARIA) and analysing and validating the results obtained from the structure calculation to, ultimately, the streamlined deposition of the completed assignments and the refined ensemble of structures into the PDBe repository. Until recently, such solution-structure determination by NMR has been quite a laborious task, requiring multiple stages and programs. However, with the new enhancements to CcpNmr Analysis described here, this process is now much more intuitive and efficient and less error-prone

Spider webs, stable isotopes and molecular gut content analysis: Multiple lines of evidence support trophic niche differentiation in a community of Hawaiian spiders

1.Adaptive radiations are typically characterized by niche partitioning among their constituent species. Trophic niche partitioning is particularly important in predatory animals, which rely on limited food resources for survival.2.We test for trophic niche partitioning in an adaptive radiation of Hawaiian Tetragnatha spiders, which have diversified in situ on the Hawaiian Islands. We focus on a community of nine species belonging to two different clades, one web-building and the other actively hunting, which co-occur in wet forest on East Maui. We hypothesize that trophic niches differ significantly both: (a) among species within a clade, indicating food resource partitioning, and (b) between the two clades, corresponding to their differences in foraging strategy.3.To assess niches of the spider species, we measure: (a) web architecture, the structure of the hunting tool, and (b) site choice, the physical placement of the web in the habitat. We then test whether differences in these parameters translate into meaningful differences in trophic niche by measuring (c) stable isotope signatures of carbon and nitrogen in the spiders\u27 tissues, and (d) gut content of spiders based on metabarcoding data.4.We find significant interspecific differences in web architecture and site choice. Importantly, these differences are reflected in stable isotope signatures among the five web-building species, as well as significant isotopic differences between web-builders and active hunters. Gut content data also show interspecific and inter-clade differences. Pairwise overlaps of web architecture between species are positively correlated with overlaps of isotopic signature.5.Our results reveal trophic niche partitioning among species within each clade, as well as between the web-building and actively hunting clades. Based on the correlation between web architecture and stable isotopes, it appears that the isotopic signatures of spiders\u27 tissues are influenced by architectural differences among their webs. Our findings indicate an important link between web structure, microhabitat preference and diet in the Hawaiian Tetragnatha

Hospitalization for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes mellitus among Indian-born persons: a small area analysis

BACKGROUND: We set out to describe the risk of hospitalization from heart disease, stroke, and diabetes among persons born in India, all foreign-born persons, and U.S.-born persons residing in New York City. METHODS: We examined billing records of 1,083,817 persons hospitalized in New York City during the year 2000. The zip code of each patient's residence was linked to corresponding data from the 2000 U.S. Census to obtain covariates not present in the billing records. Using logistic models, we evaluated the risk of hospitalization for heart disease, stroke and diabetes by country of origin. RESULTS: After controlling for covariates, Indian-born persons are at similar risk of hospitalization for heart disease (RR = 1.02, 95% confidence interval 1.02, 1.03), stroke (RR = 1.00, 95% confidence interval, 0.99, 1.01), and diabetes mellitus (RR = 0.96 95% confidence interval 0.94, 0.97) as native-born persons. However, Indian-born persons are more likely to be hospitalized for these diseases than other foreign-born persons. For instance, the risk of hospitalization for heart disease among foreign-born persons is 0.70 (95% confidence interval 0.67, 0.72) and the risk of hospitalization for diabetes is 0.39 (95% confidence interval 0.37, 0.42) relative to native-born persons. CONCLUSIONS: South Asians have considerably lower rates of hospitalization in New York than reported in countries with national health systems. Access may play a role. Clinicians working in immigrant settings should nonetheless maintain a higher vigilance for these conditions among Indian-born persons than among other foreign-born populations

Overexpression of the Axl tyrosine kinase receptor in cutaneous SCC-derived cell lines and tumours

The molecular mechanisms that underlie the development of squamous cell skin cancers (SSC) are poorly understood. We have used oligonucleotide microarrays to compare the differences in cellular gene expression between a series of keratinocyte cell that mimic disease progression with the aim of identifying genes that may potentially contribute towards squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) progression in vivo, and in particular to identify markers that may serve as potential therapeutic targets for SCC treatment. Gene expression differences were corroborated by polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. We identified Axl, a receptor tyrosine kinase with transforming potential that has also been shown to have a role in cell survival, adhesion and chemotaxis, was upregulated in vitro in SCC-derived cells compared to premalignant cells. Extending the investigation to tumour biopsies showed that the Axl protein was overexpressed in vivo in a series of SCCs